


Blowing Smoke

by YvaJ



Series: The Brittany & Adam Stories [1]
Category: Touched by an Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-04
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-16 03:58:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2255046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YvaJ/pseuds/YvaJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter Livingston is a man consumed in guilt and remorse about his family's situation.  His father is dying and he is being pressured to take over the family business.  The angels come into his life at that critical juncture.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blowing Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> The Brittany & Adam stories follow the adventures of Brittany Harrows and the Angel of Death named Adam from the series 'Touched by an Angel'. This story introduces her as a minor character. The only relationship in this story is with original characters, not with the angels.

  
**Blowing Smoke**  
By: YvaJ

The early morning sun reflected off the gravestones of the local cemetery as Samantha Reynolds sat looking down at the stone with the name ‘Molly Reynolds’ engraved on it. The tall young woman usually went there on Sundays, and would simply sit in front of the gravesite for her aunt, sometimes crying, and sometimes simply staring off into space.

Samantha had lost her parents at an early age and had been raised by her aunt. She had lived with Molly for most her life and it was only last year that she suddenly was brought to the realization of just how alone she was after her aunt’s tragic death. It had been over a year since this event, but the loss still haunted her and the pain would simply not go away.

She looked around the area and could see a man about her age walking by. She knew of him as well as his entire family, all of whom she utterly despised. Instead of smiling, her face contorted to display the utmost hate and hostility.

 _Why did he have to come here today when I just want a little peace and quiet?_ She asked herself. Of course, the answer to this question would never come, nor would she even consider raising the question in the first place. Of all the people in this small town, she despised this man the most.

Unseen by her, three angels stood watching. “Is that our new assignment, Tess?” the younger woman asked. Her slightly accented voice was filled with compassion as she watched Samantha overtly turning away from where the man was walking. The angels continued to watch as she sat back down on the ground next to the gravestone, rub her face with her hands, and stare blankly at the name engraved on it.

The pretty young angel could tell that Samantha was fighting with her emotions. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and started to shred it, the pieces falling onto the ground, her hands shaking.

"Yes, baby, her name is Samantha Reynolds, but just about everyone in town calls her Sam. She’s 25 years old and Molly’s niece,” Tess explained as she motioned towards the gravestone. “Samantha is Molly’s only surviving relative and is still grieving her aunt’s passing.”

“Are we here because she needs to grieve this loss before she can go on?” Monica asked.

“In part, you see baby, the underlying problem is that Samantha will not allow herself to show people that she’s hurting. Instead, she’d prefer to show the world just how tough she is. Suppressed grief is part of the reason we were sent, but Samantha has a very important lesson to learn about choices.”

“I don’t understand,” Monica said softly.

“In this situation, every emotion that Samantha is feeling has more to do with the choices of others than it does with her own. Choices in lifestyle are essentially what killed Molly and I suppose if we were to put this in proper wording, you could say that she committed a sort of slow motion suicide,” Tess said sadly.

“I’m still not sure I follow,” Monica said as she looked from Tess to Andrew and then back over at Samantha.

“Molly had a really bad bout with lung cancer, Monica, she didn’t suffer long, but she died a little over a year ago,” Andrew explained. “I was the angel who took her Home.”

“She smoked?” Monica asked.

“Oh yes, but even that is a blatant understatement,” Tess replied. “She breathed more tar and nicotine than air, and ultimately, she left this poor baby behind without any sort of family or roots. The hotel Molly owned is actually the only semblance of a family that Samantha has left. She has no grandparents, her parents are dead, she has no siblings, and her mother was also an only child. Her father had one sister, Molly. Samantha is a lost soul just wandering aimlessly.”

“How sad,” Monica said softly. “It’s no wonder there’s an incredibly harsh demeanor about her. She must be harboring a great deal of pain.” Monica watched Samantha stand up and begin to arrange the flowers on the grave.

“Yes there is,” Tess said, “and that harshness is embodied in the fact that she cannot and will not forgive who it is she perceives to have killed her aunt.”

“Who would that be?” Monica asked.

“My assignment,” Andrew said abruptly as he looked across the graveyard towards where a man stood. He was tall, good looking, and seemed to carry himself reserved, but also somewhat confidant. It was hard for any of them to determine what kind of person this man really was, simply because he seemed a mystery, even to himself. “That's Hunter Livingston,” he said as the man walked in the direction of where his car was parked. 

The Angel of Death stopped speaking as Tess took up the story. “He’s the next in line to one of the largest privately owned tobacco farms in this part of the country. Unfortunately, Hunter seems to be tuned in on a completely different channel than his family, because tobacco farming is the last thing that young man wants to do with his life.”

“Why does he need an angel?” Monica asked.

“He needs an angel, because when it comes to his ability to tell his parents and older sister what he wants out of his life, he simply hasn’t the courage to do so. The truth is, Angel Girl, Hunter was blessed with an amazing artistic talent, and the Father would like for him to become aware that his artistic talent was no accident. In fact, if the truth be known, that young man over there would rather become an artist in New York than to try and uphold his family traditions,” Tess explained. “There’s also the well hidden fact that he has been secretly in love with Samantha Reynolds ever since they went to school together.”

Andrew nodded, but he could not help but wonder why it was he had been assigned to Hunter. He could not detect any suicidal tendencies in the young man, but at the same time, he seemed to be contemplating whether or not he would be needed as someone’s Angel of Death. Internally, he hoped not.

“As I was saying, angel babies, we’re here because their lives are both about to collide, and the Father wants to make sure they don’t kill each other in the process.”

“But how can he love her if he wants to kill her?” Monica asked as she watched the young man get into his car. “Is it that bad?”

“Well, you tell me. With Mr. Halo also here on this assignment, we can only guess that a few sparks are going to start flying, and those sparks may ignite something neither of them have any control over.”

~~~~~

Hunter remained at his family’s gravesite for several minutes, but after some time had passed, he started to make his way back in the direction of where he parked his car. As he walked, he remembered how things had been easier once upon a time. Instead of going home, he decided to go out to the lake. This was where he had always gone when things were not going so well, and right now things were not. His father was sick with Alzheimer’s and according to his mother; the family patriarch’s condition was deteriorating with each passing day. Hunter never really thought much about his future until his father had gotten sick, and now he was almost obsessing about it.

On top of that, according to their lawyer, he was next in line for the farm. The underlying problem was he did not want it. _How do I tell Mom and Dad that I’m not interested in growing tobacco?_ He asked himself. He knew that after over 200 years of the Livingston family owning this farm that it would not be an easy task to back out. He shook his head sadly as his thoughts continued to drift.

“I just don't want to be the one who kills other people,” he mused sadly to himself as he got in his car and closed the door with such a force that would indicate to anyone passing by that Hunter was angry. Before starting the engine, he turned on the radio and set the volume as the music filtered through the car.

Once again he glanced over to where Samantha was still seated by the gravesite for her aunt and rather than start the car, he remained where he was and continued to watch her. For the life of him, he could not figure out why he was doing what he was doing.

“Excuse me,” he could hear a voice and a light tapping sound. He raised his head to see a tall, blond headed man standing next to the car. He had raised his hand and was lightly tapping it against the passenger side window. Hunter leaned over and turned the knob, which would lower the window.

“Yes?” he asked trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you were going back into town and if you would mind giving me a lift,” the man said. “I’d understand if you’d rather not, but I just checked the bus schedule and it doesn’t seem to be running regularly today. In fact, the next bus doesn’t run for another hour.”

“That’s pretty typical around here, I’m afraid,” Hunter said. “Hop in, I was thinking about going to the lake, but I’ll drop you off in town since it’s not too far out of the way.”

“Thank you,” the man offered as he opened the door. Two notebooks fell out onto the ground and he bent over to retrieve them. “Sorry, I don’t want to mess up your notes.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, just throw that junk in the back seat,” he said and watched as the man placed the notebooks gently on the seat. He smiled ironically all the while thinking about how he would have loved to have thrown them over the nearest cliff.

“By the way, my name’s Andrew,” he said as he got in the car and reached for the seatbelt.

“Hunter,” he responded as he started the car. “I take it you’re not from around here, are you?”

Andrew shook his head. “No, I’m not. A couple of friends and I are just passing through.”

“Are you a member of that traveling carnival troupe or something?” Hunter asked.

“Actually no,” Andrew said. “We’re here on a different sort of business. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, I just figured that you were with that group that shows up every summer. It’s become a sort of tradition for me to take my niece there. Since my older sister is always working, she tends to want people to look out for her daughter and I usually get asked,” he sighed deeply. “I suppose this year it’s not going to happen.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Andrew asked.

“No real reason,” he replied and pulled the car to the side of the road and turned to look at Andrew. “You see that windmill over there? It’s just beyond that group of trees.”

“Yes, but what about it?”

“It’s the border to the land that my father owns. It’s our family business, and it’s been going on for over 200 years. Those books you tossed in the backseat are for the business, and even though I’m not all that keen on that stuff, my father wants me to take care of it for him. I guess with that responsibility, there’s no more time for fun and games.”

“You do the bookkeeping?” Andrew asked.

“Yeah, but somebody’s has to do it; it won’t get done by itself. Between you and me, I detest it. I never was all that keen on number crunching, not even when I was a kid in math class. I guess God had other plans for me,” Hunter said with an unhappy smile.

“What plans?”

“Well, I wanted to be an artist ever since I was a little boy, but ‘dreams’ and ‘reality’ are two completely different things,” Hunter said simply he shifted the car into gear and pulled back out on the road.

A few minutes later, they pulled into town. “Not a very big place, but this is it. If you need a hotel or something, there’s a place I can recommend to you. It’s called the ‘Reynolds Inn’, the rates are pretty decent, and the rooms are nice, too. They also serve breakfast.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Andrew said as he got out of the car. “I’m grateful to you for helping me out back there. Would you like to have a cup of coffee before you go?”

“Nah, you wouldn’t want to be seen in public with me,” Hunter said, “but thanks for the offer.”

“Why do you say that?” Andrew asked.

“The Livingston family is the largest privately owned tobacco producers in this part of the country. As much as I hate to say it, I’m next in line for it, and if truth be known, I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”

“But this is a part of your family’s heritage,” Andrew objected. “Shouldn’t that be important to you?”

“Don’t you get it? We produce tobacco and they take this stuff and make cigarettes out of it, and then people smoke them, and they die,” Hunter looked down at his hands. “These hands will produce something that will hurt people or make them sick, and I just can’t do it.”

“But people have free will and they chose whether or not to smoke. You’re not at fault for other people’s choices,” Andrew said. “Think about it, if you were to make the choice for them, then it would stand to reason that you would feel badly for what happens to them, but _they_ make the choice, not you.”

“Maybe, but I do feel at fault for it,” Hunter said sadly. “Everyone here thinks that I have power to bribe politicians, but the fact is, I want nothing to do with it. How can I go against my family and their pride?” He shook his head. “Sorry, Andrew, but I have to decline your offer. Take care of yourself.”

Before Andrew could say anything, Hunter started his car and drove out of the area. He watched as his car disappeared around a corner and he stood watching and wondering why he had been assigned to the young man at all.

In the back of his mind, he remembered the times when he had to help people who suffered from lung cancer and he could see the regret in each of their eyes. Generally it was too late and the person suddenly realized that it had been their lifestyle choices that had sealed their fate.

Following Hunter’s suggestion, he started to walk slowly towards the small motel, but as he did, he could see a small diner, and he decided to go there first and get something to eat.

~~~~~

“So, you want to work here as a maid?” Samantha asked Monica later that afternoon.

“Well, yes, I saw your ‘help wanted’ sign,” the younger angel said.

“You too?” she asked looking at Tess.

“Well if you have something for me,” Tess said trying to offer the young woman a smile. When the gesture was not returned, she looked at Monica completely uncertain if she really wanted to work near this woman who seemed to radiate a bad attitude. The younger angel had to take this job simply so she could be close to her assignment, but Tess was not so certain if she was really keen on hanging around someone like Samantha Reynolds. 

“OK, I’ll put you at the reservation desk, you can start tomorrow afternoon,” she said as she slid a sheet of paper across the desk towards Tess. “Just fill this out, and you can bring it in tomorrow.” She shifted her focus to Monica. “Now as for you, Miss Perky, I’ll let you work as a housekeeper. If that job doesn’t cure you of it, than nothing will.”

Monica looked at Tess with wide eyes, but as Samantha continued to speak, her attention refocused on the words of her assignment. “I have to tell you both that the pay’s not all that hot, I can only pay minimum wage and you’ll have to worry about your own insurance,” Samantha said. “Otherwise, I’ll need Monica from ten ‘til three, and then Tess, I’ll need you to come in and relieve my aunt’s old friend, Sadie Monroe at five. Tess, you can start up front this afternoon at five. Monica, be here at ten tomorrow morning.”

“I can start now if you would like,” Tess said looking at her watch and noticing that she had about two hours before she was due to start working, but trying all the while to be helpful.

“That won’t be necessary,” Samantha said. “Although Sadie usually is here at this time, she’s been sick, so that’s why I’m here. I'll be here till five anyway to take care of some of the bookkeeping, so I think I’ve got things under control.”

“It’s not a problem, Miss Reynolds…” Monica began, but was abruptly cut off.

“…Let’s get one thing straight before you do anything else around here, Monica. Everyone in this hole in the wall town calls me ‘Sam’, ‘Miss Reynolds’ was my aunt, and she’s been dead for over a year, so you can stow it with the formalities. Clear?” Samantha sat back down at her desk. It was obvious that Monica had inadvertently offended her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Monica said as Tess looked at her and shook her head. The younger angel quickly recovered. “I mean, of course, Sam.”

“Just get out of here,” Sam said with some of the edginess still in her voice. As soon as Monica had left, she looked down at her notes. “Oh man, I hate perky people. Why can’t they just be themselves instead of showing up with that stinking pretense?”

As she attempted to get comfortable in her chair, she could hear that someone had rung the bell out in the lobby. This indicated that either a new tenant was coming in or someone was checking out. Sighing with a great deal of resolution, she stood up, walked out of her office and over to where a man was standing. “Yeah, what can I do you for?”

“I need a room,” he said unsure of what to say next, so he simply offered her a warm smile and introduced himself. “My name is Andrew.”

“I don’t care if you’re the grim reaper. As long as you got the cash, I got the room,” Samantha said irritably. It was clear that she was completely unaware of the horrified look that crossed the handsome man’s face. She tossed a piece of paper on the counter before turning and walking towards the large bulletin board where the keys hung. “Just fill out this paperwork, and I’ll get you a key.” With her back to him, Andrew stared somewhat bewildered after her. At the large board, suddenly remembered something she turned back around. “You want a room for smoking or non-smoking.”

I’d prefer non-smoking if you have it,” Andrew said looking up from the form he was filling out.

“We got it,” Samantha said dryly. “Now, how many nights were you planning on sticking around this lousy hell hole?”

“About a week or so,” he said as he continued to fill out the slip of paper.

“I get it; you’re one of these carnival types, right?” she asked sarcastically. “What happened, did you escape from the clown theater?”

“I don’t understand,” he said handing her the paper.

“Oh never mind. Anyway, the room is number 23, and it costs thirty bucks a night, breakfast included,” she said. Before he could ask her anything further, she turned away from the counter and disappeared through the doorway she had come out of moments before.

Andrew shook his head with profound disbelief as Monica came over to him. “I’d say she’s got your number, Andrew, especially the ‘grim reaper’ part.” Her eyes were sparkling with mischief as she regarded the shocked look on his face.

“Oh Monica, please, that’s the last thing I need to hear right now,” Andrew moaned with obvious exasperation. Although he knew that she was trying to joke with him, he continued to stare at the doorway leading back into the office where Samantha was working.

At the same time, Andrew could not help but wonder what Samantha might have said to Monica, because the young Irish angel was standing there with the same bewildered expression in her compassionate brown eyes. To anyone who would look at Monica, would be able to plainly see the evident worry on her face.

“Babies, we really do have our work cut out for us on this one,” Tess said.

“I’ll say,” Andrew whispered. “She’s got an even bigger attitude than you do.”

Tess looked at Andrew with an expression that was a mixture between anger and shock. He smiled impishly, but when Tess glanced over towards Monica, she could see that the young angel was holding her hand over her mouth and trying to conceal her amusement.

~~~~~

Hunter Livingston arrived home later that afternoon. Instead of living at the big house on his family’s massive estate, the young man resided in a small wood-frame house. Unlike the rest of his family’s estate, his cabin was filled with things that displayed his overt preference for the more simple things in life. His mother and sister hated it, and this only made him love it even more.

The house was filled with items that he liked, chemistry sets, artwork, and electronics. In the kitchen he had a small stove, microwave, and refrigerator, but the rest of the kitchen did not even resemble a place to cook meals. He had a radio set up where he spent much of his time talking to people as an amateur radio operator. On the table in the other corner, he had magazines and newspapers about art history and architecture. In yet another corner, he had notebooks filled with nothing but his hand drawn sketches.

All the dishes were placed on wooden shelves, which he had made when he was a teenager. His mother had thrown the shelf away when he went away to college, but when he found out about what she had done, he simply went and retrieved it from the dump and put it in the cabin. This sent her into a tirade, but one of the things she could not comprehend was how Hunter had taken such pride in the things he built. Store bought things; although nice, gave him very little satisfaction.

As he looked around the small cabin, he thought for the umpteenth time that if there was such a thing as the black sheep of the family, then he was it.

“Hey Hunter!” someone called out, and he immediately recognized it as the voice of his 30-year-old sister, Holly.

Suppressing a sigh, he raised his head and spoke. “Yeah, come on in, Holly; the door’s open,” he said as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of tomato juice. Once he opened the can, he began to add pepper to the drink as his older sister came in the kitchen.

“You still drink that stuff?” She asked as she reached inside her purse and began to scrounge around inside it before producing a pack of cigarettes.

“No smoking in my cabin, Holly, you know the rules. If you want to smoke, you have to do it outside,” he said, the evident frustration in his voice.

“Since when have you been so sensitive about smoking?” she asked.

“Since always, you’ve just never noticed that I don’t like it,” he said and his voice softened considerably. “Just don’t smoke in here, OK? If you want to smoke, we can go outside on the porch and sit on the swing.”

Holly, rather than starting an argument, nodded and they went outside. “So what’s up with you? Mom said that she had given you the notes on the foreclosure. What ever happened with that? Have you told them that you’re closing that dump down yet?”

“I can’t,” Hunter said as he sat down. “I don’t know why, but I just can’t go and tell that poor girl that we’re going to bulldoze her hotel.”

“It’s business, Hunter, and after Dad dies, you’re taking over this estate. You’re the oldest boy in the family, that’s your place, your responsibility,” she said.

“First of all, I’m the only boy in the family, and secondly, maybe I don’t want that responsibility,” he mused. “Perhaps, I would like to go back to college and make a positive difference in this world. How much of a difference am I going to make producing tobacco?”

“You’d better get your head out of the clouds, bro’, and realize that this is your responsibility to this family. You are about to be the head of it as soon as Dad dies,” Holly said as she took a draw on her cigarette and blew the smoke out.

“Did you see the doctor?” Hunter asked.

“No, but Mom said that the Alzheimer’s is getting worse. Dad lies in bed and talks about seeing angels,” Holly said.

“Angels?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, you know, fluttering wings, halos, and all that jazz?” Holly shook her head. “I think Dad’s getting to the point where he’s losing it. He told Mom that he saw some middle-aged guy in a white suit some time ago, but she seems to think that he’s been hallucinating.” Hunter took a sip of his tomato juice and shrugged his shoulders.

“Do you have the books?” she asked changing the subject completely as she stubbed out her cigarette. “That’s why Mom sent me over. She wanted me to pick them up.”

“Yeah, they’re in my car. Andrew threw them in the back seat when I took him into town,” Hunter said.

“Who’s Andrew?”

“No one special, he’s just one of the few people in this crummy town who can actually stand our family. Maybe it’s just because he’s a stranger and doesn’t know how we always seem to throw our weight around. Anyway, he and I tossed the books in the back seat; you can get them out when you go. The car is still unlocked.”

“What? You left them in an unlocked car? Anyone could steal them. What were you thinking?” Holly screeched her voice emerging between that of a screaming child and the cry of a buzzard.

“We’re out here in the middle of nowhere, Holly,” Hunter began. “Why in God’s name would anyone want to steal that stuff? People these days are more interested in good literature than in that garbage, so don’t get all self-righteous on me. I have already had my fill of that with Mom.”

“You’re 27-years-old, Hunter, it’s about time you started listening to someone, not get yourself immersed in silly dreams. This is reality and I think maybe you should start listening to Mom for a change,” she said.

“And let her control everything about me like she does with you? No thank you,” Hunter said. “I have one thing left that no one is going to take away from me, and that’s my pride.”

“I suppose I should go before this turns into a full-fledged argument,” Holly said and abruptly stood up. “Are you going to be up at the house tonight for dinner?”

“I might be up there, I don’t know yet. It kind of depends, since I was thinking about going fishing this evening,” he said and continued to sip his tomato juice.

Holly nodded and left. Once she was gone Hunter began to fan the air around. When his sister was smoking, she always reeked, and then on top of that, she wore expensive perfumes, which seemed to give her an air of being dominating, arrogant and incredibly annoying.

Soon after she was gone, Hunter went back inside and closed the door.

~~~~~

The evening arrived leaving Samantha still sitting in the office going over the paperwork. As she sifted through the piles of paper on her desk, she found an envelope and opened it. After she read the form, the color drained from her face and she called out to the woman who was stationed at the front of the hotel. “Tess,” she yelled, her voice teetering somewhere between panic and anger.

“What is it?” Tess asked as soon as she came into the room.

“Did you get the mail today?” Samantha asked.

“Yes, I laid it up on the top of the shelf,” Tess said and reached for an envelope. Once she held it, she handed it to the young woman.

Samantha snatched it out of Tess’ hands and ripped it open. As she did, she became a ghostly white color and shook her head. “First my Aunt Molly and now this,” she whispered as she looked at Tess helplessly.

“What’s going on, Sam?” Tess asked.

“That snobby Livingston family is what’s going on. They’re at it again, not that that is anything new. First they killed my dear aunt Molly and now they’re talking about expanding their tobacco crop, and running me out of town,” Samantha said bitterly. 

“I’m not sure I understand, honey, maybe you should start at the beginning,” Tess said.

“When my Aunt Molly got sick, she had to use whatever money we had for her cancer treatment. The hotel went out of business for a few months, and the land on the other side of the parking lot had to be sold to Livingston family. Kyle Livingston is the head of the family, and he promised my aunt that they would never foreclose on us. Well, now his health is starting to fail and his wife and daughter are doing just what he promised Aunt Molly he would never do. Everything that they even said to my aunt about not pushing me out is simply baloney. They just want to take the land, and destroy the hotel so they can plant more tobacco,” she said as she felt frustrated tears streaming down her cheeks. “Destroy the only thing left of my family.”

“What can I do to help?” Tess asked.

“There’s nothing anyone can do. I’ve long since given up on miracles. Besides, what would I say if I were to talk to them? I hate the whole lot of them. They don’t care about anything, Tess; all they care about is power, and control of the little guy. Who cares how many people they kill off with their legalized drugs, just as long as they get their pockets lined?”

“Maybe they’re not all like that, maybe there is someone in that family who wouldn’t want to do that,” Tess said simply.

“Yeah right, and maybe Santa Claus exists, and the Easter Bunny, too. Please don’t tell me another fairy tale. This is the real world, and in the real world, money talks and you know what walks. As long as people are able to bribe politicians, push people around, then it doesn’t matter if I lose the only family I ever knew. Don’t go telling me about someone in that family being different. They’re all rich, they only care about power, and they…”

“…Have a patriarch who is dying from Alzheimer’s,” Tess finished.

“And I’m facing loosing my hotel, the last thing I have of my family,” Samantha said bitterly. “I don’t have the time to start feeling sorry for those misers. Hunter Livingston and I used to go to school together, and as far as I’m concerned he can take a long walk on a short peer. He’s the one that's going to end up calling in the bulldozers and destroy everything.”

“If you want to save your hotel baby, then you’re going to have to get over that attitude of yours and talk to the man,” Tess said.

“Don’t call me ‘baby’, and don’t even think about trying to get me to talk to him, he’d just laugh in my face,” Samantha said. “I’m at the low end of the totem pole, Tess. None of those people would even give me the time of day. If I showed up at their house, they’d throw me out but not before laughing in my face.”

~~~~~

The sun was setting behind the trees when Hunter arrived at the lake. He was still aggravated that his sister was giving him such a hard time about the foreclosure. Why did his mother and sister even want to go against the wishes of his father and take the land away from Samantha Reynolds? He knew that he still had feelings for the young woman, but he also knew that she hated him with a passion and there was really no point to him even trying to pursue those feelings.

“Hunter?” A voice broke into his thoughts and he looked up to see Andrew standing nearby. The angel held a fishing pole in his hand and was smiling warmly.

“Hi Andrew, what are you doing out here?” Hunter asked as he tried to bait the hook.

“I guess the same thing you are,” Andrew said. “I was thinking about coming out here and maybe catching a fish or two.”

“The fishing’s not all that great out here, I’m afraid,” Hunter offered. “In fact, since coming out here, I’ve only caught minnows.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “I actually use fishing as an excuse, because usually when I come out here, I do it so I can have some time to think. I figure I should give my family a reason for these trips, and they wouldn’t understand if I said I come here just to think, so I have to find something to do while I’m here to pacify them.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

“What do you think about when you come here?”

“Everything and nothing,” he said taking a deep breath. “I guess, I wonder sometimes if I’m adopted because I’m nothing like any of my family. I think about that, or whether or not I have the courage to do what I want instead of what is expected of me, what I believe or think. Mostly I wonder how I will get along without my dad after he’s gone.”

“All those things get kind of overwhelming, don’t they?” Andrew asked.

“I guess so, but you know, Andrew, I don’t even know you, but yet, in a way, I feel like I do, like you’re that friend that I wanted as a kid that I never really found. Like I told you earlier, everyone in this town hates my family. I mean; oftentimes I really don’t blame them. The name Livingston strikes fear in the heart of the bravest man around here, and to some of the people, they think that all we care about is money and power, but for me I wish sometimes that I could be more like them. You know, free? Free to do and be able to choose, free to just be myself.” He looked at the sky and sighed deeply. “You know, you can’t buy your health with it. When it's time to go, you can’t take it with you, so what’s the point?”

“How is it that you feel this way and the rest of your family doesn’t?” Andrew asked.

“I don’t know, I sometimes think they take everything for granted. That what they want will be there when they expect it, but I just don’t think that way, I guess.” He reached over and picked up a large rock and threw it into the lake. “I guess I’ve felt this way for a long time, but it really started to come out in me about a year ago.”

“You mean after Molly Reynolds died,” Andrew said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I guess it occurred to me that people were getting hurt because of the way my family makes money. Andrew, my dad is loaded, we’ve got more money than a pumpkin has seeds, but in my mind, it’s blood money.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

Hunter shook his head. He was unable to really offer a viable answer to Andrew’s question, but at this moment, it really did not matter because both of them began to stare across the lake and could see a woman walking along the shore, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze, and her steps seeming to gravitate towards the icy cold water to her right.

“Oh my God,” Hunter muttered when he recognized who she was, and instead of answering Andrew’s question, he stood up. “That’s Samantha, but what the heck is she doing out here?” Both of them continued to watch from where they had been fishing.

Hunter suddenly was brought crashing back down to Earth as he watched her actions. He could see that she had removed her sandals and was walking slowly towards the edge of the lake. Once she had waded out into the water, and the chilling water was up to her waist, she allowed herself to sink down into the water. “Andrew,” he shouted over his shoulder. “There’s a reason why there are no real fish in this water, it’s not safe to swim in.” As his eyes met those of Andrew he could see that this man had somehow changed, he seemed to be radiating light and was dressed in an elegant beige suit instead of the jeans and T-shirt he had been wearing earlier.

 _White suit, just like Dad described to Mom,_ Hunter’s thoughts reeled as he took off running towards the edge of the lake where Samantha was now floating in the water. _Oh my God, it's true, what Dad said. It was no hallucination; Andrew is an Angel of Death._ Hunter took his shoes off and threw them on the sand. His thoughts continued to whirl, but without considering his own life, he quickly dove into the freezing cold water and swam over towards Samantha while Andrew stood in the cove waiting and watching.

 _She’s trying to kill herself,_ Hunter thought desperately. _Dear God, please don’t let this happen, let me save her._

As soon as he reached where she was, he could see that her body was shivering and her face looked a pale shade of blue. She was still moving somewhat around in the water and that gave him a bit of encouragement in knowing that she was still alive. He glanced up and could see that Andrew was still standing motionless near the cove.

Hunter took the now shivering woman in his arms and tried to propel them both towards the edge. When he got there, he could see that Andrew was still there, still glowing, but had reached out to help him lay her gently on the sand. The angel then crouched down beside them as Hunter began to speak. “She needs a blanket, there’s one in my car,” he said. “Please, Andrew, could you get it?”

Andrew nodded and left quickly, but was back within moments. He could hear Hunter pleading with the young woman, the angel’s tender heart going out to both of them. 

“Come on Sam, wake up,” Hunter pleaded with her. “I love you; I’ll do everything I can to help you keep your hotel. I swear by God, that I will save that place, just please wake up.”

The woman remained unconscious, and Hunter tried in desperation to remember the lifesaving techniques he had learned in school. Once he could vaguely remember, he began his attempt to resuscitate her using mouth-to-mouth. As he did, he noticed that Andrew was once again on the ground next to them, and he was no longer glowing. For some reason, this gave Hunter the added hope he needed. When he could suddenly hear her starting to cough up the water, he looked down at her as he brushed his hand through her hair. After a few moments, she managed to slowly open her eyes.

“What happened?” she whispered hoarsely, “who’s there?”

“Friends, Samantha,” Andrew offered.

“You nearly drowned,” Hunter answered, but his next question emerged filled with frustration. “Are you crazy? Don’t you know that the lake is not environmentally sound and added to that, it’s freezing cold?”

Upon recognizing the voice, and was able to focus her blurry vision, she looked at him. “As if you really care about the environment,” she whispered. “If you were so worried about the temperature, then why did you go in it?”

“I went in to pull your butt out of there,” he said, his voice filled with anger. “What did you think I was just going to sit there and watch you kill yourself?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice lowering considerably.

“My dad owns this lake,” he said. “Maybe I should be asking you the very same question.”

Samantha reached up to touch her forehead with her hand as her body continued to shiver. “Oh God, please tell me this is a nightmare,” she whispered as she covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

Andrew remained on his knees and continued to watch over her. He could see that Monica had just appeared and was coming towards them as well, her brown eyes filled with shock and regret. Rather than say anything to her, he offered her a gentle but encouraging smile.

When Hunter said nothing further, Andrew realized that perhaps he should say something as well. “Are you OK?” he eventually spoke.

“I think so, but what happened?” Samantha asked.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Andrew spoke. “Hunter saved your life just now.”

“Yeah, uh huh, well, I guess he’s trying to get brownie points with the man upstairs then, because he ruined my life,” Samantha said as she tried to stand up and walk away. With Andrew's help, she managed to get on her feet, and eventually, she looked at Hunter with all the hate she could muster. “If you wanted to make a difference to me, then maybe you shouldn’t have killed my aunt.”

She stalked away and Monica had no choice but to follow her. She offered Andrew an encouraging smile and walked quickly after Samantha.

Upon hearing Samantha's outburst, Hunter was left with tears in his eyes, but after a few moments, he stood up and grabbed the blanket and began to wrap it around himself. “The last thing I need to do is catch pneumonia,” he muttered as he sat back down on the ground and watched as the sun set behind the trees.

After a few moments of silence, the young man finally looked at Andrew. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

“That Sam was going to do something stupid tonight,” Hunter said.

“Actually no, I didn’t,” Andrew whispered.

“But, you’re an Angel of Death, right?” Hunter asked, but the question emerged as a statement of fact rather than an inquiry.

“How did you know that?” Andrew asked.

“I put two and two together,” Hunter began. “I saw you after Sam decided to go for a swim and I remember a conversation that I had with my sister this afternoon. She had told me earlier that when my mother talked to my dad, he had said some off the wall things about seeing a man in his room wearing a white suit. Holly said that Dad had been mumbling about angels as well, so after Sam jumped in that water, I remember looking over at you and shouting something about the water, and I noticed that you had….changed.”

Andrew nodded, his voice soft, but filled with honestly as he answered Hunter's question. “Yes, I am an Angel of Death, Hunter; but, the reason I was sent to you is not because of death, but because you need help in dealing with life. God has two important messages for you, and the first one is simple, God loves you regardless of what the people around here think. He loves you very much. The other message has to do with an agreement your father and Molly Reynolds made before she died, a promise that could be destroyed in one single night.”

“I seem to remember that Dad had promised Molly Reynolds that as long as he was in charge of the family business, we would never foreclose on the hotel,” Hunter said.

Andrew nodded. “That’s right, and did you know specifically what your sister and mother are now trying to do to Samantha?”

“Not really,” Hunter said softly. “But I always thought they would keep the agreement that my father had arranged, you know out of respect to him.”

“They’re not doing that, Hunter, and you know it, you’ve just been running away from the truth rather than having the courage to face it. Why else do you think Samantha tried to end her life tonight?”

“Because of the books, it wasn’t Dad who wanted them, it was Mom,” Hunter looked angry as the pieces to the puzzle began to come together.

“Hunter, this isn’t about a heritage or a family, it’s about choices, and about making the right ones. The choices God hopes people will make, but He would never force His will on his children. Right now, there’s a choice for you to make, and it’s not about how many years the Livingston family have grown tobacco. It’s about your path and where you wish for it to lead you, it’s about promises that were made and now may not be fulfilled. You know in your heart what you want to do, now you must trust in God, and allow His loving words to resonate in your words and actions.”

“How can I do that?” Hunter asked. “How can I tell my family, Andrew?”

“It’s hard to do, I know, but it has to be your choice. It isn’t just a matter of whether or not you could take over this farm and continue the business; it’s about two people who are intent on ruining the life of someone you love. Hunter, if you want to have a life with Samantha Reynolds, then it will be up to you to show the depth of your love to her, not just in words, but in actions. You have to tell your family the truth, and you have to do it tonight. If you don’t, you will lose Samantha.”

“Why do I have to do it now?”

Andrew looked at him. “Because tomorrow the farm will belong to you, but before any paperwork is signed, or a will is read, your mother and sister will destroy the Reynolds Inn along with the only connection Samantha has to her family. She will lose everything she has and her Aunt Molly will die all over again.”

“You mean?” Hunter looked at Andrew somewhat shocked.

The angel nodded. “My friend Adam is with your father as we speak, Hunter, and I’m afraid the time is drawing near.”

The young man nodded as Andrew's words rang true in his heart. “I’ll do as you suggest, but can I ask one thing of you?”

“Yes, of course you can,” Andrew said gently.

“Would you please come with me? I don’t know why, but something tells me I’m going to need all the moral support I can get,” Hunter said softly.

“I’ll come with you,” Andrew said simply.

~~~~~

Samantha got into her several moments after her encounter with Hunter Livingston. Her eyes were filled with shock as she considered how he had pulled her out of the water and prevented her from dying. She recalled how she had been in the lake and head heard a voice resonating in her head. It was as though an angel was speaking to her, but what he had said, she could not recall.

“Samantha?” another voice suddenly emerged and shocked she whirled around to see that Monica was standing next to the car and was smiling warmly at her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked warily.

“I decided to go for a walk and ended up here,” Monica said.

“You picked a real fine place to walk, we’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Samantha said.

“Why are you all wet?” Monica asked, all the while knowing what the answer was going to bed. “Did you fall in the lake or something? Maybe you should get home, I mean; you’ll catch a cold if you’re out here for too much longer.”

“It was no big deal,” Samantha lied. “I just lost my footing.”

“You also lost your shoes,” Monica said as she held up the sandals Samantha had left near the lake.

“How did you do that? I didn’t even see you out there,” Samantha asked, clearly confused.

Monica smiled weakly, but looked at her. “What really happened out there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean; it was a lot more than just loosing your footing, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” she confessed. “I came out here to end it, Monica. I figured that there was no point in even trying since tomorrow my life will be over anyway, so I figured I could go out something other than a loser.”

Monica got in the passenger side and looked at Samantha. “You’re not a loser, Sam. Everyone in town knows that you’ve been through a lot, but in God’s eyes, you're not a loser. In His eyes you’ll always be His beautiful child. You know giving up on life isn’t a part of the plan, and giving up without a fight is not what your aunt would have wanted you to do.”

“How do you know what she would have wanted?”

“Tell me this, what was her favorite quotation?” Monica answered her question with one of her own.

“‘Don’t give up without a fight’,” Sam said.

“And what do you think suicide is?” Monica pressed. “If you end your life, you might as well have thrown in the towel, because the Livingston family would have won and that would have been before you had even started fighting to save the heritage of your family. You cannot allow this to happen, you have to be alive and well in order to do what it is you must do.”

“Then what should I do?” Samantha asked. “Face these people and have them tell me that my family isn’t important?”

“No, but you have to go to them and remind them that Kyle Livingston made an agreement with your aunt and that was that they would not foreclose on your hotel. Let them know that and the truth, regardless of how hard it will be to face, will eventually come out. It’s going to be up to you to be honest and stand by your convictions,” Monica said gently. “If you want me to, then I’ll be with you when you tell them, but you must also know that God will be with you, too. Allow that to be your guide not your anger and hurt. We already know that you're angry and hurting, but through your willingness to accept the truth, you will be encased in truth, and that is what will set your soul free.”

Samantha looked at Monica with wide eyes. “After everything that happened to me these last few days, I thought I had seen everything. Then tonight when I was in the lake and I think I saw an angel. He was standing on the shoreline and even though the light was bright and blinding me, I could still see the love in his eyes. I had never seen such a beautiful light in my life, and then after I woke up, I saw Hunter Livingston looking down at me.”

“What did you see in his eyes?” Monica asked.

“I didn’t want to believe it, but I saw worry, and concern,” Samantha said and shook her head. “I never thought I would ever see worry in that man’s eyes. Then I remembered after I walked away that Tess had told me earlier that I needed to try and talk to him.”

“And what have you decided?” Monica asked.

“I think I will go to their house and try,” Samantha said.

“Maybe you should get changed into some warm, dry clothes first,” Monica suggested.

Samantha nodded and started the car. Together, she and Monica drove back to the hotel so that she could change clothes. As she drove, Samantha could not help but ponder what had actually happened. Had Hunter Livingston really risked life and limb to pull her out of the water? Had she actually seen an Angel of Death standing on the shoreline bathed in a glorious light?

Although she knew that this was a last gasp attempt at saving her hotel, she was somehow convinced that tomorrow her entire world would turn upside down and she was still alive to see it happen.

~~~~~

Hunter stormed inside the house. “Mom! Holly!” He thundered as he pulled off his denim jacket and led Andrew through the foyer into the house.

“Wait, Hunter,” Andrew said stopping him. “I think you should go up and see your father first.”

Hunter nodded and as they walked towards the stairs leading up to Kyle Livingston’s room, his mother Katherine came out into the large hallway and intercepted them en route to the staircase.

“What business do you have storming in here and disrupting things?” Katherine demanded. “You know perfectly well that your father needs quiet.”

“I want to know why it is that you and Holly see fit on going back on the promise Dad made to Molly Reynolds before she died,” Hunter said sarcastically. “Dad is still alive, and going against his wishes is not right.”

“Your father is a vegetable, Hunter, and I am doing something that is the best interest of the family,” Katherine said.

“You call your husband of 40 years a vegetable?” Hunter was exasperated. “I can’t believe this. Andrew,” he spoke to the angel, “how do you think you’d feel if you were married to someone for 40 years and she suddenly called you a ‘vegetable’?”

The angel looked sad as he regarded the exchange. “I think it would make me very sad,” he offered weakly.

“And this is none of your business,” Katherine said as Holly came out into the room.

“It _is_ my business,” Hunter said sternly. “And I’m going to tell you right now. You want me to be ready to take over when Dad dies, then fine I will, but there’s one thing that is going to stick, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it does. You will not touch the ‘Reynolds Inn’, you will leave Samantha Reynolds alone, and you will not foreclose on that girl.” He looked at his mother, his eyes shooting fire. “There is something else you don’t know, Mom, I have a lawyer who will look this case over backwards and forwards, and before you or Holly hire anyone to bulldoze that place, he will make sure that this agreement between Dad and Molly is taken out and gone over with a fine toothed comb. In other words, you have no power to have anyone come and level anything.”

“What happened to family loyalty?” Holly asked as she looked at her brother’s determined face.

“Family loyalty is a two way street, Holly, and as long as all members of a family understand that, then it can be a wonderful thing. You two have only done things with the business in order to destroy the little guy. You use the business as a means to do whatever damage you can to those who have done nothing to hurt you. How can you even expect me to go along with that? I want to make a positive difference here. Haven’t you ever wondered if of what you are doing is something Dad would be proud of? Or better yet, would God be happy to know that you’re just out to have more and more without looking at the consequences?”

“How dare you speak to me in that way?” Katherine said pointedly. “I’m your mother or have you forgotten?”

“I just think that somebody has to speak on Dad’s behalf, you or Holly aren’t going to do it,” he said simply and brushed past her and walked towards the stairs leading up and into his father's room.

Andrew remained standing in the hallway, and after a few moments, Katherine looked at him. “What are you staring at?” she demanded.

“I was just wondering if you believe that God would be proud of you two for trying to destroy Samantha’s family,” Andrew said.

“We didn’t do anything of the kind,” Holly said defensively, “and even if we did, she’s a complete nobody with a bad attitude.”

Andrew shook his head. “No, she’s a young woman who is hurting, and afraid. In God’s eyes, and the eyes of your brother, she is anything but a ‘nobody’. None of God’s children are considered by their Creator to be a ‘nobody’. Everything that He makes is beautiful, special, and unique. Monetary worth means nothing to Him, but what does mean something is love, unconditional love. To God, the love that Hunter has for you, his father, and Samantha Reynolds are the most precious gifts of all.” As the light of God's love encompassed him, he regarded them with love and compassion in his eyes. “How many times have you done something in the name of love and not in the name of greed?”

The two women seemed unaffected by what Andrew was saying and even Holly turned away from him in order to look at her mother. “Mom, what are we going to do?”

“I’ll get on the phone with your father’s lawyer, tomorrow at this time, that dump will be nothing but a pile of rubble,” Katherine said angrily as the two women brushed past Andrew and he was left staring after them.

“Father they won't listen, what should I do?” Andrew whispered under his breath.

Within seconds, he was told to get upstairs and support Hunter as he was going to be speaking to his father for the last time. With a great deal of resolution, the angel walked towards the stairs.

~~~~~

Hunter walked slowly inside the room where his father was. The old man’s face was pale and shadowed with weariness and his son could not remember a time in his life when his father had looked this poorly. He sat down next to the bed and looked down at Kyle.

“You know, you were right about the angels, Dad,” Hunter said. “I never thought I would believe it, but it’s true. I met one, and now he’s the best friend I ever had.”

The man in the bed looked up, his wise old eyes speaking volumes, the understanding which emanated from them left Hunter feeling both comforted and surprised.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much to see you these last few days, I guess I was trying to run away from what Mom and Holly were trying to do. You know, Dad, I always admired how much you were willing to help the little guy, like Samantha’s aunt,” Hunter’s voice was filled with sadness as he continued to speak. “Dad, I can’t get into producing tobacco. I always wanted to be an artist, and you’re probably the only one left who could understand that. What should I do?”

When no answer emerged from the bed, he sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and sensing that someone else was present he raised his head for a moment. After several moments had passed, he found himself speaking softly to the stillness. “Adam? Is that you? Andrew said that that was your name, and right now I really could use a little bit of help.”

The Angel of Death appeared suddenly and smiled gently at Kyle’s son. “Hello, Hunter. What can I do to help you?”

“You can talk to my dad, right? I mean, you can communicate with him?” Hunter asked, somewhat overwhelmed to be speaking to the angel his mother and sister did not believe even existed.

“Yes, we do,” the angel smiled.

“Then, can you ask my dad if he had signed an agreement with Molly Reynolds about the hotel? I need proof that this agreement was made, and without it, I’m doubtful if I can do anything to stop my mother and sister from destroying that hotel.” His words were rushed, and as he spoke he could see that Andrew had come into the room.

Adam leaned down and whispered something into the ear of the man. After a few moments, he raised his head and smiled gently at Hunter. “He did make an agreement, and there's a copy of it at his lawyer’s office, as well as in the nightstand next to you.”

Hunter frantically opened the drawer and pulled out a handful of papers, mostly brochures and printed photocopies. “What is all this stuff?”

He glanced around nervously and finally his gaze came to rest on Andrew.

“Just read it, Hunter,” the angel said gently. 

The younger man did as the angel suggested. “‘Government sponsored anti-smoking campaigns, prevent children from smoking by removing smoking ads from radio and television, and receipts from donations given to the Lung Cancer Society.’ Andrew, he really did care for the people, even though it was this family that produced this stuff.”

“Your father cared very much, Hunter; he still does. It does frighten him to think that your mother and Holly are willing to hurt other people for the sake of this business,” Adam said gently. “He shared these concerns with me about what was happening in your family and how much he hates being unable to say what he feels to his wife and daughter about it. He told me that he does not want you to fall into this trap. He said that he never gave up on making a positive difference, and that he hopes that you won’t either.”

Hunter looked at his father’s still body. “Dad, why didn’t you ever tell me about this yourself? I grew up thinking falsely that you didn’t care, but you cared more than anybody. I was wrong; I thought you were using everything as a sort of investment strategy.” He could feel the tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. “I judged you falsely, Dad. Please, forgive me.”

Adam nodded. “He does and he knows that this was all very difficult for you to come to grips with. He never was angry with you. He always knew that you were different than Holly and your mother, and he was proud of you for that. He still is.”

“You know something else, Hunter, he wanted you to know about all of this, but he got sick before he could tell you,” Andrew said and rested his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Your father had some of the same feelings you now have, and he was once a boy very much like yourself. He was forced into this life in very much the same way your mother and sister are pushing it on you.”

“Dad,” he reached out and took his father’s limp hand, his quest for the agreement forgotten as he felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’ll continue your work, but this time, I’m going to include some of the things I want in this, and not just what Mom and Holly want.”

“The agreement, Hunter,” Andrew reminded him gently.

Hunter began to dig through the papers on his lap again, and eventually, he had emptied the drawer. When he finally found the form, he handed it to Andrew. “Would you please hold onto this for me, I don’t want it to get lost in all of this stuff?” He asked weakly.

Andrew nodded and accepted the form as the young man returned all the papers to the drawer and closed it. He looked down at his father. “I never had the courage to stand up to Mom and Holly before, Dad. I don’t know if I can do this without you being here.”

A few seconds passed, and Adam looked at him. “Hunter, Kyle just now asked me to tell you that when he inherited this estate 35 years ago, he had the exact same fears and uncertainties you do. He wanted me to ask you if you ever contemplated where your creative talents partially come from. If you haven’t, he said that after you say ‘good-bye’ you should go into his office downstairs and look at the paintings on the walls in there. Your talent was no accident, not by any stretch of the imagination and that once you understand that, you will be able to balance your creativity with the business of keeping the Livingston family afloat.”

“You had the same fears, Dad?” Hunter asked.

“Your father had those exact same fears when he inherited this estate. Today, Kyle is confident that you will do a wonderful job, and that you will never forget what it is that is important.”

“What is that?” Hunter asked the angel.

“Love,” Adam said simply. “Your father loved his life, but he also loved people, and he knows that you inherited this from him as well as from God. This means far more to him than the business, because he knows that he can’t take the material things with him when he goes Home, but he can leave them with someone who will carry on in his place.”

Hunter looked at his father, a new respect filling his being. He looked at Andrew and after a few moments, he could see that Adam was glowing even brighter. “It’s time, isn’t it?” he asked looking at Andrew.

The angel nodded and Hunter reached down and squeezed his father’s hand for the last time. “I love you, Dad, I’ll make you proud.”

As Hunter watched his father take his final breath, he glanced up to see Adam and Kyle disappear. The young man could tell that his father was now gone, but he looked at Andrew. “I just want you to know that I’m really grateful that God sent you and your friend to us. I don't know what I would have done without your support, Andrew. You’ve been a real friend, a better friend than just about anyone.”

“It is a part of my job,” Andrew said softly and smiled. “You learned a great deal about your father tonight, things you never knew before, didn’t you?”

Hunter nodded numbly as Andrew handed him the agreement that would seal the fate to Samantha's hotel. “I guess I did, but did he know that I love Samantha?”

Andrew nodded and smiled gently, “he does now.”

~~~~~

At about the same time, Samantha had arrived at the front gate of the Livingston house. Through Monica’s persuasion she had gone back to the hotel, changed clothes, and the two of them drove to the large estate. At the gate, they gave the guard their names, but when they were refused access, Samantha almost got angry, and if not for Monica’s reassuring hand on her shoulder, she probably would have said a few things she would later have regretted.

“My friend Andrew is visiting the Livingston family,” Monica said after a few moments.

The guard checked his list, and as he recognized that Andrew and Hunter had arrived there, he waved them through without any further questions.

“How did you do that?” Samantha asked as she pulled the car into the circular driveway and got out.

“I told him the truth, Andrew and I are friends,” Monica said.

The two of them walked towards the door, but when it opened Monica and Samantha were looking into the cold gray eyes of Katherine Livingston. “What are you doing here?” she demanded when she recognized who was about to ring the doorbell. Her gaze came to rest on Monica, but she said nothing to the angel.

“I’m here to see Hunter,” Samantha said, as if propelled by adrenaline. “I have a few things to discuss with him.”

“You’re not welcome here,” Katherine hissed. “I’m in charge here, as long as my husband is sick.”

Samantha looked at her and pulled a sheet of paper out of the bag she carried. “Well then I need to find out specifically why it is you want to go against the wishes of your husband and foreclose on my aunt’s hotel.”

“Your aunt is dead, Miss Reynolds, and as long as she is no longer in the picture, we have the right to take the land and all that is on it back because it belongs to our family,” Katherine said simply.

Samantha shook her head. “That’s not true. My aunt said that that agreement that Mr. Livingston made did not end just because her life did. Aunt Molly made this agreement because she wanted to have the security that I would be provided for, so essentially this agreement does include me.”

Katherine shook her head. “My husband’s lawyer will make sure that that dump is closed down. So, I’d suggest that you clear your junk out of there tonight. I have already made the arrangements with the wrecking crew and they will be coming there tomorrow afternoon and once they come, your hotel will be reduced to a pile of rubble.”

Monica watched in horror as Katherine berated Samantha. When she looked at the younger woman, she could see that the scare tactics were working. After a few moments of silence passed, she could feel the tears brimming beneath her eyes, and it was obvious to the angel that the woman was beginning to feel the grief inflicted upon her by the rich woman’s words. These threats went straight to the core of her being.

“Now, I would suggest that you get off our land or I’ll call the guards and have you and your friend thrown out of here.”

With that, Katherine Livingston turned and walked back through the doorway she had emerged from leaving Samantha staring after her.

After a few moments, the angel looked at the young woman as she rested her hand comfortingly on Samantha’s shoulder.

“It’s hopeless, Monica,” Samantha finally said as she shook her head. “I’ve lost everything. Who was I kidding in trying to fight the rich? They have lawyers in their pockets, and I couldn’t even afford to get anyone to represent me. Life simply doesn’t work for people like me.”

“It does work, you just can’t give up," Monica said comfortingly. “God wouldn’t want you to give up.”

“Who cares what He would want? I’ve lost everything, and nothing, not even God is going to bring back what I’ve lost,” Samantha snapped. “There’s no one left who can help me, everything is falling apart and I know I’ve lost.”

“You haven’t,” Monica said as she started to glow, the light of God's love encompassing her being as she looked at Samantha, her eyes filled with love. “If you had completely given up hope, Samantha, then He could never have sent me.”

Samantha turned back around and looked at Monica with wide eyes. She shook her head, but after a few moments, she spoke, her words emerging soft and filled with complete disbelief. “I must be dreaming.”

“No, you’re not dreaming, Samantha, I’m an angel, sent by God,” Monica said. “Tess is as well and we both would not want to see you give up. Most importantly God wouldn’t want to see you give up. Put all your trust in Him and He will see you through.”

After a few moments, she glanced up and could see that Hunter was now coming outside and Andrew was following him.

“Sam?” The young woman turned away from Monica to see that the young man she had spent much of her time hating and treating badly was now standing on the large concrete walk in front of the mansion, his eyes filled with sadness as he regarded her.

“You pulled me out of the lake?” she asked him weakly, almost feeling sad about making that statement.

“Yes, but why are you here?” He asked his voice soft.

“It was a mistake for me to come here,” she said simply as she walked towards her car.

“No, it wasn’t,” he reached out and gently took her arm and turned her around to face him. His first impulse was to kiss her, but ignoring the impulse, he simply smiled at her. “Are you OK?” He finally asked her.

“Sure, I’m fine,” she said as she jerked her arm away.

“Maybe it's good that you decided to come here because, I wanted to talk to you about something important. I would have told you at the lake, but I was a coward, and you had left so quickly that I didn’t get the chance to even start telling you what it was I wanted to say,” he said sadly.

“You wanted to gloat about making a fool of the orphan girl down the street?” she asked weakly. Instead of her voice being laced in bitterness; he could see that her words were filled with sadness, pain, and defeat. “Your mother already made that point perfectly clear.”

“What did she say to you?” he asked. “Tell me, Sam, and don’t even try lying to me, I want to know everything she said to you.”

“What does it matter? As far as your family is concerned, tomorrow my hotel will be a pile of rubble, and I will lose everything. Oh, but what does it matter if the Livingston family can produce another crop of tobacco, right?” she asked bitterly as she walked over towards her car.

“Wait a minute, OK? I know you hate me, but there’s something I want you to know. Out at the lake I made some promises to you and Andrew was there when I did. He’s my witness, and I would be insane to go against a promise I made in his presence.” As he was speaking, Samantha looked at the angel and watched as he nodded. “One of the promises I made while you lay on the ground nearly drowned was that with God as my witness I would do everything I could to save your hotel, but that means that we’re going to have to work together and get over this hostility.” He grabbed her hand firmly but gently in his and this time he noticed that she did not pull away. “I want you to keep your hotel, I know it’s important to you, and I want you to know that if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me as well. I’m not going to spend my life destroying the things other people have worked so hard to build. That’s not the way I am. Sam, that’s what I wanted to tell you out at the lake.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Andrew spoke as he came closer to were they were standing. “I was there and you do remember what happened, don’t you?”

Samantha looked at him, and then at Hunter. “Y-you saved my life.”

“And I’d do it again if I had to,” Hunter said softly as he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Sam, I care about you and I know that my family hurt you a lot, but I want to have the chance to make things right again. Please give me a chance.”

The young woman looked from Monica, to Andrew and finally her gaze came to rest on Hunter. “You really care about me, but why? I’ve been nothing but cruel and nasty to you. Why do you even care for someone like me after what I’ve said and done to you? It doesn’t make any sense.” As much as she tried, she could not stop the tears from spilling down over her cheeks.

“Because I’m not like the other members of my family,” Hunter said. “My father died tonight, but for the first time in my life, I discovered that I do take after someone in my family, I take after him. It’s something that I can be proud of instead of this junk I’ve been carrying around. For a long time I honestly felt like I was an oddity, I thought I was alone and that I didn’t belong anywhere. The only reason I felt this way was because I wasn’t willing to destroy things or hurt people. Now I know that my father actually did care as much about other people as I do. My family has a negative reputation because of the hate and bitterness my mother and sister successfully established for it, but it wasn’t always that way.” He shook his head. “Tomorrow, I’ll be the head of this estate, and I was so scared of it, of being a leader, and not being as strong as my dad was. Just ask Andrew, he’ll tell you; he was there.”

Samantha looked at Andrew and he nodded. “It’s true; Hunter has been having internal battles with this situation for a long time now. Most of it has been centered on your situation and the agreement his father made with your Aunt Molly."

“Andrew and I were there when my father died this evening and you may think I sound crazy, but there was someone else with him and he helped me to find this.” He handed the agreement to Samantha, but when the young woman gave him a puzzled look, he smiled gently. “This is the signed agreement that your Aunt Molly and my dad made over a year ago. My dad said that this agreement should still be legally valid regardless of what happened to either of them. I think the best thing you can do is to take this to a lawyer and make sure you have legal representation in the matter. No one has the right to destroy your hotel, but you need to see the lawyer as soon as possible to prevent it from happening.”

Samantha took the piece of paper from Hunter, disbelief written all over her face. “Why are you doing this?”

Hunter smiled weakly. “Because while you were unconscious, I made a promise to you that I have every intention of upholding.”

“A promise?” she whispered and looked at Andrew.

After Hunter nodded in his direction, Andrew began to speak. “He said, and I quote, ‘I love you, I’ll do everything for you to help you keep your hotel. I swear by God, that I will save that place, just please wake up’.”

“You really love _me_ and you’re going to help me?” she asked weakly.

“Yes, to both questions.” As he was speaking, his mother came out of the house with a guard following. Before he could say or do anything, his mother began to speak.

“I want you to escort the three of them off this estate, Gordon,” she began, her voice filled with anger. “None of them are welcome here and if they come back again, I’ll have them up on trespassing charges.”

“On the contrary, Samantha is most certainly welcome here. I will not have anyone kicking my friends out of here.” He looked at Monica and Andrew; the two angels were now standing nearby each one looking at the other in confusion. “Gordon, Andrew, and this young woman are my guests,” Hunter said as he put his arm gently around Samantha’s shoulders. “I think our family has done enough damage to Samantha, and now as the head of this family, it is my responsibility to make restitution to her. Wouldn’t you agree, Mother?”

The look Katherine gave him was without any emotion, but she stormed inside the house leaving them alone and Hunter could only wonder what his mother was planning to do now. The guard reluctantly followed her back inside. Hunter shook his head and looked apologetically at his friends.

~~~~~

Once Katherine and the guard were gone, Hunter looked at Andrew. “You know, I didn’t think I had it in me.”

“That’s how honesty works,” Andrew said softly.

“Are you an angel too?” Samantha asked looking at Andrew. When she got a nod, her face turned a ghostly shade of white as she recognized him not only being the man who had checked into the hotel earlier that day, but the same man she had seen out at the lake. He was the man in white, the one she saw after she tried to end her life.

As the color drained from her face, she sat down on the stairs and rested her face in her hands all the while shaking her head. It was bad enough that she had called Monica ‘Miss Perky’ but that she called him the ‘grim reaper’ suddenly came back, and she was left regarding the Angel of Death with fear and sadness. This was the first time she had actually been given the chance to look at him since he and Hunter had come outside. “It was no mistake, you were at the lake earlier when I tried…” her voice broke.

“Yes, I was there, Samantha,” he said and sat down next to her. “I would have stayed with you had you drowned out there, but I was grateful that I didn’t have to take you Home, you’re just a young woman with so much potential.”

“Oh my God,” she looked at Hunter, then at Monica and finally at Andrew. Her expression was filled with shame as she looked at him. “All those things I said to you at the hotel. How on earth could I have known?”

“You were still grieving,” Monica said gently as she sat down next to her. “We both understand that you were hurting, Sam. In fact, I would bet that you still have a great deal of pain still left inside.”

“You don't understand, I said some horrible things…” her voice trailed off as she looked at Andrew. “…You helped me, and I was so unfriendly to you. I said that I didn’t care of you were the grim reaper and that it didn’t matter to me who you were, but…” She swallowed as she realized why it was the handsome man had reacted with shock and suppressed pain after she had spoken to him. She looked at him shaking her head, the words simply not coming and the guilt remaining.

“Samantha, it’s OK, you have no reason to feel badly,” Andrew said gently as he reached over and rested his hand gently on her shoulder. “I really do understand and all is forgiven. Believe me, in my work, I hear a lot more than just that from people.”

The young woman nodded numbly, but her eyes never left the compassionate green eyes of the Angel of Death. “I’m sorry,” she whispered shaking her head sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Andrew’s a great guy, Sam, I think he’s OK with what happened,” Hunter offered. “He’s a really good friend, so if he says ‘all is forgiven’, then I think he means it and you shouldn’t worry anymore about it.”

“Yeah, OK, then I guess I should get home and find those things to take to the lawyer, that is if I can actually afford one,” she said softly, but it was obvious to Andrew that she was still feeling a bit nervous in his presence.

“I’ll make sure you get good legal representation,” Hunter smiled and nodded. “Other than that, do you need help with anything else?”

She shook her head, “no, I think you’ve helped me enough tonight. I’m really grateful to you.”

“That’s what friends do,” he said.

Samantha stood up and went to get into her car. Monica looked at Andrew and Hunter. “I think I should go with her, Andrew. Is everything under control here?”

“I think so, but I’ll see you back at the hotel later,” he said.

Monica offered Hunter a smile and left. Once she got into the car with the young woman, they drove away as Hunter looked at Andrew. “You were right about a lot of things, thanks.”

“You know, you said when you were talking to your father that you weren’t very much of a leader, but I think you underestimated yourself. When you talked to Sam earlier, and then your mother, you handled things as a leader would,” Andrew said with a smile.

“Well, I guess I learned something else from my dad then,” Hunter shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, as if by impulse the angel glanced over in the direction of the town. “Hunter, is there some kind of bonfire going on tonight?”

“Not that I know of, why?”

Before Andrew could say anything, Tess appeared in angelic form and addressed her charge. “Angel Boy, you and Hunter need to get to the hotel, immediately, Sam is going to need the support of all of us when she and Monica arrive.”

“It’s the hotel?” Andrew whispered under his breath as he watched the orange and red hues rising in the distance. “Hunter, I think the hotel is on fire.”

The young man nodded. “It looks to be coming from that general direction. We’d better get going. Something tells me that Sam is going to need a lot of help after tonight. You know, I’ve had this strange feeling since we pulled her out of the lake earlier that this was far from being over.”

The compassionate Angel of Death nodded. He knew that Samantha Reynolds was about to relive her aunt’s death again and this time it would be manifest in the loss of her hotel.

The two of them took off and got into Hunter’s car and sped down the driveway in the direction of town. As they drove, Hunter kept his eyes on the road in front of him, but he sighed deeply. “I can’t believe they would stoop this low,” he grumbled under his breath.

“What makes you think that Holly and your mother are responsible for this?”

“Oh come on Andrew, one doesn’t have to have celestial powers to acknowledge this as the truth. What’s the chance that this could happen right now, so soon after the falling out with my mother and Holly?” Hunter grumbled. “My mother and sister would do anything to get their way, and this is just the type of thing that they would do to put Samantha out of commission for good.”

Andrew could not deny the truth in Hunter’s words, but the pain in his face was almost too much for him. He could only pray that he would not be needed that night as someone’s Angel of Death and that if there were any people in that hotel; they would get out before the entire place would be engulfed in flames.

“Listen, if your job requires you to help people, then something tells me you’d better find a quicker way to the hotel than with this measly Jeep Cherokee,” Hunter glanced over at his friend.

Andrew smiled gratefully and disappeared.

~~~~~

By the time Monica and Samantha made it to town, they could see the murky gray smoke engulfing the area. Samantha pulled the car to the side of the road and cut the engine, as she looked at her burning hotel in shocked disbelief. “Monica,” she finally managed to speak, her voice breaking as she looked at the angel who sat next to her.

The young angel could only shake her head sadly as Tess came running towards them. “The place is engulfed,” she said her voice emerging out of breath once she reached where they were parked. “Thank God there was no one inside when it happened.”

“What happened, Tess?” Monica asked.

“The fire department suspect arson, someone said that there were traces of dynamite in the soil, but they are sending it to Atlanta to be analyzed,” Tess replied. “We won’t find out anything until late tomorrow.”

Sam quickly got out of the car and ran towards the burning building the tears falling from her eyes as she screamed out the name of her aunt. Before she had reached the building, she could feel a pair of hands from behind. They were holding her shoulders firmly but gently and preventing her from going inside. When she eventually turned around, she could see that Andrew had appeared from out of nowhere and was now standing beside her.

“You shouldn’t go in there, Samantha,” he said gently.

“My aunt…everything I ever owned is in there, I’ll lose everything,” she screamed as she tried to break out of his hold.

“I know, and I can’t stop you, but please reconsider,” he said gently as he lowered his hands from her shoulders.

She noticed the fire behind him, and she could see how the flames silhouetted him. Although he looked serene and peaceful, she could not deny that he also looked saddened by her actions. Instead of running inside, she slid to the ground, her hands covering her face as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Andrew crouched down so that he would be eye level with her. “Samantha, I know that this is going to be hard for you to understand, but you have to believe me when I tell you that going in there will not change the reality of what is happening here. I think you know that because you have chosen your life over the objects inside.” He spoke gently and as she turned her head around to look at him, he could see the pain that was now prevalent in her eyes. “If you go in there, you will die and now, unlike what you may have believed in the past, there will be someone who will miss you terribly.” He spoke gently as Monica and Tess approached, and some steps behind them, Hunter was following.

“Everything is gone,” Samantha looked at Andrew, her sad eyes filled with lost hope.

“Oh, Sam, not everything,” Andrew said and tipped her face up so she would be looking into his deep green eyes. “You're alive, and the memories of Molly will live on in you. Give all your pain over to God, Samantha, and He will help you through everything. He loves you so much.”

“T-then, why did He t-take her away from me?” Samantha could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. “S-she was all I had.”

“I know, I was the one who took her Home,” Andrew brushed her hair from her face so that she would be able to look at him. “But, God didn't take your aunt away from you; He had me bring her Home so she wouldn’t suffer anymore. He hates to see His children hurting, Samantha, but maybe the reason all of this has happened is because you never really had the chance to grieve what you lost. Give yourself the chance to do so, not with anger or blame, but with your own feelings.” He brushed the tears from her eyes and smiled gently at her. “You’re never alone, God is always with you, and now you are among friends, and we all want to help you work through that grief you feel right now. Will you let us?”

Samantha looked at him, and as she felt the grief overcome her, she could see Monica and Tess were now standing next to her. She could feel the tears continuing to stream down her face, and as she did, she could feel Andrew's strong arms wrapping around her and holding her. This if anything allowed her to cry, and within moments, she felt herself collapsing in his arms, the tears finally falling.

By this time, Hunter had reached them. “Sam?” he called out her name and when he reached where she and Andrew were now on the ground and he could see that she was weeping bitterly in the angel's arms.

Monica and Tess remained with the two humans, but Tess placed a motherly hand on Hunter's shoulder. Within a few seconds Hunter beheld the smoldering hotel, and he shook his head sadly, as he looked down at Andrew and Samantha. “I think we should get out of here before we breathe too much of this smoke.”

Andrew nodded and together they managed to get Samantha to her feet.

Monica looked at Tess, “what now?”

“You guys need a place to stay?” Hunter asked as he began to feel the first drops of rain. Once the three angels nodded, he continued. “I don’t have a very big place, but it’ll keep us all dry and you’re all welcome to stay for as long as you like. Maybe tomorrow morning things will look better for all of us.”

“Nothing will,” Samantha managed to utter, but in her fist, she held the signed agreement between her Aunt and Kyle Livingston, but before she could wad up the piece of paper and throw it towards the inferno, Hunter pried the piece of paper out of her hand and stuck it in his pocket.

Together the five of them went and got into Hunter’s car and they drove out to his cabin.

~~~~~

Samantha woke up the following morning. She could not remember where she was, nor could she remember the events of the night before. She crawled out of bed and looked around the room. She pulled her long brown hair away from her face and went to the window and looked outside. The area all around the cabin was green and lush, almost like something out of a dream.

“Good morning,” a gentle voice was heard and she turned around to see Hunter standing in the doorway.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“I guess OK,” she said softly and went back over to the bed to sit down. “Where are we, anyway?”

“My cabin,” he said simply. “I live here.”

“I always thought you lived in the mansion on a hill,” she said somewhat jokingly, but as she recalled what had happened the night before, her smile faded and she looked down at her lap unable to meet his gaze.

He sat down next to her. “No, actually I’ve been living here for about five years now. I moved out here after I finished up at the university.”

“Why?” she asked weakly glancing up only slightly.

“Well, because I like simplicity,” he began as he shrugged his shoulders. “You know, I can’t get into fancy parties and shopping sprees, it’s just not me. I guess that’s why I’ve always envied you.”

“Me? Why on Earth would you envy me? I’m nothing, just an orphan with no family left,” she whispered.

“Maybe, but you’re also free to do things you want or be the person you’re meant to be. For a long time I couldn’t do that,” Hunter said shaking his head. “Besides that, I wouldn’t let our friends in there hear you say that, you might just get a lecture or two. And I honestly don’t think you would want to cross Tess, she’s a pretty tough customer.” He smiled gently at her as he continued to speak. “Let me ask you something. Did you ever hear the saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’?”

“Yeah, probably too often,” she said softly.

“Well, in some cases it’s probably true. I’ve seen people in town who see my sister and my mother and they automatically think that I’m just like them or that my life is a breeze. But, do you know what? It’s not; all that that means to me is that I was born into this family, and I guess I always thought I was an outsider. Last night I discovered that I’m more like my dad than I even stopped to consider.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” she asked weakly.

“No, I don’t think it is, but I did envy anyone who didn’t feel as tied to their family as I did. Last night I said good bye to my father and I realized that I had more in common with him than I even was willing to admit.”

“How is it that we both met angels?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know, but after I met Andrew and talked to him, I realized that he had taught me a very profound lesson about making choices. He told me that it was always my choice whether or not to allow my family to control me and he was right. I had been allowing my family to dictate to me what my choices were, and right now I can only thank God that I’ve broken free from that.”

“I didn’t realize it was so hard for you,” she said softly. “I guess I always thought that you had it made, just like the rumors said.”

He shook his head sadly. “You wouldn’t have talked to me if you didn’t have to.”

“Maybe I should have, you know Tess told me that I should talk to you,” Samantha said softly. “But, I guess I should have done it sooner. I should have realized that…”

“What?”

“That you’re not as bad as I thought, in fact, I think you’re a pretty unique kind of person.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him. For the first time instead of seeing an enemy, she saw a valued and trusted friend. She reached out to him with her hand, and when he took her outstretched hand, she smiled weakly. “Will you forgive me?”

Hunter sat down next to her. As he did, he smiled as he wrapped her gently in his arms. “I want you to know that we will get through all of this together. I won’t leave your side Sam, I love you more than anything.”

She glanced down at her lap unable to control the butterflies, which were now in her stomach. Her head was now resting against his chest, but instead of backing away from him, she could feel his fingertips brushing against her face, his hands cupping her chin gently as he tipped her face up to meet his waiting lips. She closed her eyes as his lips met hers and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him and allowed the kiss to deepen.

Suddenly, in the middle of the kiss, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, and when his hands felt them, he broke the kiss, his hands brushing the tears from beneath her eyes. An instant later, she had started to weep bitterly and he looked at her somewhat bewildered. “What is it, Sam? Tell me, did I hurt you?”

“No,” she cried shaking her head, as she tried to assimilate everything that had just happened. “I just never thought you would love _me_. It hurt so much for me to even start to love you, but I did, and then after my aunt died…”

“…Shhh, it’s OK. I know this is awkward for you,” he said gently covering her lips with his finger.

“No, Hunter, I love you, too. I’ve loved you for so long, but after my Aunt Molly died I was so angry. I had no family left, and I felt like God and your family had robbed me of my only family,” she looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness. “I know it was wrong, but I was so hurt. Then I was rude to everyone, even to God's angels. I asked Andrew to forgive me last night, but I can’t forgive myself for how I behaved. I hurt everyone I have ever loved.”

Hunter smiled reassuringly at her. “Listen to me, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I want to help you in any way I can. I’m doing this because I do love you, Samantha. The angels, well, let's face it, in their line of work I would guess that they’ve probably seen the pain and stubbornness in people before. You have to forgive yourself for what you may have said to them. They don’t hold anything against you, because they care for you. Andrew held you last night, and allowed you to cry in his arms. I mean they love you, not like I love you, but we all care for you just as you are, attitude and all.”

She glanced down again, and then looked at him. “How can you? How can anyone?”

“I’d say it’s easy, you’re worth it,” he smiled gently. “More than anything else, I want to be there for you. I think Tess, Monica, and Andrew do too.”

As they spoke, the three angels listened from the hallway, and after a few moments, they went back down the hall and into the kitchen. Hunter looked up when he heard the movement in the hallway. When he received encouraging smiles from them, he continued to speak. “Sam, there is something else I have to tell you. Last night your hotel burned to the ground, there’s nothing left of it. I know this is hard for you, it’s like losing your aunt all over again, but I want to be here for you, and I hope that you will have me.”

She nodded numbly as he continued to speak. “The police have the suspects in custody, but they weren’t able to save anything. I spoke with a building contractor this morning before you woke up and they’re going to excavate the land, and I will arrange for them to start rebuilding.”

“I figured, I somehow remember what happened when I woke up,” she said softly, the tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. “There’s nothing left for me here.”

“Yes, there is,” he whispered. “I want you to stay, like I just said, we’ll rebuild the hotel and it will be just like it was before.”

She shook her head. “It would cost too much, Hunter. The place was insured, but it wasn’t worth all that much. I’m already in debt and I’m still paying the bills for the hospital when my aunt was sick. If your mother and sister didn’t foreclose on me, the hospital certainly would have. I have nothing left, every last cent I had went into that hotel.”

Hunter sighed deeply, but looked at her. “How deep are you in?”

“About fifteen thousand,” she said as she looked down at her lap. “Now with the hotel gone, I have no source of income. I can’t afford to buy back the land and rebuild. No, just let your mother and sister have it, I don’t have the means to fight anymore.”

“Yes you do, especially since you have the head of the Livingston family behind you,” he said softly. “Now I want you to listen, my mother and sister have no status here; they cannot make demands of anyone on behalf of the business. My father passed the estate on to me and it is my choice what happens to it. I’ve never been much of a leader, but I’m learning fast. I called my father’s lawyer this morning, and he said that what my mom and sister did was illegal and they were acting without representation. That means, by law they can be fined, possibly imprisoned, but I have decided not to push that with the legal system. Right now, what we have to do is get you back on your feet. This afternoon, they will have the reading of the will, and I will have to go for that. If you want to come, you’re welcome to.”

“I can’t go back there,” Samantha said softly shaking her head sadly. “You know what happened last night.”

“We can talk about it over breakfast,” he said as she sneezed and he put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Are you OK?”

“I feel kind of dizzy right now, but otherwise, I think I’ll be OK,” she said softly as he leaned over and rested a hand against her forehead.

“You’re warm; maybe you should get some more rest. I’m guessing your little swim last night is catching up with you. Once you’ve had something to eat, then you can come back here and get some sleep. How’s that sound?” He smiled gently as he pulled a terry robe out of the cabinet and helped her put it on. “Come on, our friends are waiting in the kitchen.”

“OK,” she allowed him to help her get to her feet and when she looked at him, she smiled weakly. “Hunter?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Without any more words, he led her out of the room and down the hallway towards the kitchen.

~~~~~

“Good morning,” Monica greeted Samantha when she and Hunter came into the kitchen. Monica had a cup of coffee in front of her, and she was looking through some of Hunter's sketches. “You know, these are really good.”

Hunter smiled as he helped Samantha sit down. “You think?”

“Tess, did you see these drawings?” Monica asked as her supervisor came over and sat down at the table.

“Baby, you’ve got talent,” she said smiling once she looked down at the drawings and then glanced over at Hunter.

“May I see?” Samantha asked softly and once Monica handed it across the table to her, she stared down at it. Hunter had drawn a large meadow with flowers, trees, and a small brook that flowed through the middle. Trees and a small gazebo were in the distance and Samantha was immediately reminded of the sidewalk drawing from the film ‘Mary Poppins’ when they had jumped into it and went to the fair and she won the horse race with a carousel horse. She smiled as she beheld the drawing but then looked at him and smiled. “Yes, baby, you do have talent. I was never very gifted when it came to art, but you are really a man of many surprises.”

As she handed the drawing back to Monica, she sneezed. Andrew came out of the kitchen and placed a mug of hot coffee in front of her. “Thanks,” she smiled weakly as she tried to make eye contact with the angel. When she couldn’t, she managed to look around the room. “I never would have thought that the son of the richest family in the state would have so many neat things in his house.”

“I told you I’m not like my family,” Hunter said and smiled at the angels. “You guys going to stick around for awhile?”

“Yes, that seems to be the plan,” Tess replied.

He looked at Andrew as he sat down at the table. “I was just wondering if you would come with me to the will reading, I don’t really want to go alone, and I am hesitant about taking Samantha with me. I think she caught a cold or something last night and I would guess that she’s in need of more rest.”

“I’ll go with you,” Andrew said softly as he picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.

“Thanks,” Hunter said softly as Samantha rested her elbows on the table, her chin resting in her hands. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, she really was starting to feel dizzy but when he looked at her, she offered him a brave smile. However, he could also see that she was quickly looking sicker and he wondered how much longer she would be able to sit there without collapsing.

“Are you OK, Sam?” Tess asked also noticing the look on the young woman's face. She spoke sternly but also gently causing the young woman to open her eyes and glance up momentarily.

As she did, she slid out of the chair and crumpled to the floor. She lay there for a few moments before Hunter had stood up and got down on the floor next to her. She could feel his arms wrapping around her and holding her gently, and she moaned softly before everything began to spin and she closed her eyes and allowed herself to pass out.

Hunter rested his wrist on her forehead and could feel the warmth. “She’s so hot, and I don’t know what’s wrong, but something is not right. She’s been through so much and I can’t stand the thought of her continuing to suffer.”

“Take her back into her room,” Andrew said softly. “She’s just exhausted and needs rest. The next few days are going to be crucial for her.”

“Andrew?” Monica looked at him, her eyes widening upon hearing his words. She could almost tell that Samantha’s illness was the result of the unhealthy water she swallowed, but also from the temperature of it, and she shook her head sadly.

“Is that why you’re still here?” Hunter asked weakly. “Could she die?”

Andrew sighed deeply. “At this point it’s safe to say that anything can happen, but regardless of what happens, Samantha is never alone. God’s always with her, and if something does happen, I’ll be with her too. Essentially, the next days are going to be critical, she's going to need rest, and constant supervision.”

“Yeah,” he snorted, “and as luck would have it, the next hospital is over 40 miles away.”

“Now you listen to Old Tess, honey, just get her into her room, and between the four of us, we’ll take good care of her,” Tess said.

Hunter nodded as he gently picked the young woman up in his arms and carried her back to her room with Andrew following and leaving Tess and Monica alone.

Once they were gone, Monica looked at Tess. “What's wrong with her, Tess?”

“She got sick when she tried to end her life last night, but not to worry Miss Wings, God is in control here, and we mustn’t forget that He has a plan,” Tess said.

“I know, but what will Hunter do if he loses her?” Monica asked.

“Like with anyone who loses a loved one, he’ll have to pick up the pieces and go on,” Tess said simply.

“So we will stay until she gets better?”

“No, we’re supposed to stay a little bit longer,” Tess said. “This is not over yet. Hunter will have one more choice to make, and what he does with this choice will have an impact on the rest of his life.”

“What kind of choice?” Monica asked.

“Well, baby, it will have a lot to do with his family, but will also have to do with what you hold in your hands,” Tess said. “This choice is not just about Samantha, but it will also leave an impact on the status of his family, and that does not eve compare with him telling his family that he’s in love with that girl.”

Monica looked down at the notebook she had been thumbing through when they had come into the room. She knew that this would be the deciding factor.

~~~~~

In the room, Hunter carefully laid Samantha on the bed. He then leaned over and kissed her before he and Andrew covered her with the blankets. Once he sat down, he looked at the angel, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. “Andrew, what’s going to happen to her?”

“I don’t know, Hunter,” the angel said softly as he brushed a wisp of Samantha’s brown hair out from in front of her closed eyes. “God only knows whether or not she will live or die, and perhaps it is best to put her in His hands and allow Him to have complete control over the situation.”

“I know you’re right, my friend, but I’m so afraid,” Hunter whispered. “I don’t want to lose her.”

“Who said you would?” Andrew asked gently, his eyes never leaving Hunter’s face. “As with any illness, a person is left with a choice, to fight the effects it leaves or to allow it to win and take that person’s life. I’m not telling you this to make you afraid, because death is as much a part of life as anything else. Now, you are just as capable as she when it comes to asking the Father for strength and He does answer prayers. All you have to do is remember to pray for her and encourage her to battle whatever it is that threatens her very life.” Andrew came around to where Hunter was seated next to the bed and rested his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Hunter, Samantha is strong, and although she experienced a bout of weakness last night when she tried to drown herself; she does want to live, and I think she knows you want the same for her, so with this in her consciousness, then this battle is far from being over.”

Hunter looked at the angel. “You helped her last night.”

“I only spoke the truth to her, but she made the ultimate decision about not going into the burning building, not me. I couldn’t have imposed my will on her, she had to choose for herself, and that’s what she did,” Andrew explained. “That’s the reason I couldn’t go and pull her out of the lake, she chose to go in there on her own, and only another person, using their free will could have gone in after her.”

“That’s why you stood in the cove and did nothing to help her, you’re not allowed to do anything because it would have changed the course of events,” Hunter said.

Andrew nodded. “You have a great deal of understanding of this.”

“Not really, but I did do a drawing once depicting my view of free will, and that was kind of the idea I used,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. “Monica was looking at the book when we came in this morning, so maybe it’s still in there. I haven’t drawn any serious sketches in over a year, so it's hard to tell what specifically is in there.”

“Hunter?” a voice emerged and he glanced down to see that Samantha had shifted on the bed. “What happened?”

“You passed out in the kitchen,” Hunter said softly. “Andrew and I brought you in here, and it looks as though you’re going to be confined to this room for a few days.”

“Why do I feel so dizzy?” she murmured.

“You swallowed a lot of unsafe water last night, and then you inhaled smoke last night,” Andrew said gently. “You’re really in need of rest.”

“Am I…?” her voice trailed off, but her question was directed at Andrew.

“I don’t know, but you need to take it easy, and regardless of what happens, you’re not alone,” Andrew said softly.

“If you need anything, just call one of us, OK?” Hunter asked.

When Samantha nodded numbly, he watched as she closed her eyes again. Once she drifted off to sleep, Andrew and Hunter crept from the room and closed the door.

~~~~~

That afternoon, Hunter and Andrew went downtown to the lawyer’s office for the reading of the will. Hunter had not seen his mother or sister since the night before, and the last thing he wanted to do was to get involved in another argument with them. His niece Brittany was seated in the hallway when he and Andrew stepped off the elevator.

“I guess I’ll wait out here,” Andrew said.

Hunter nodded. “That’s probably not a bad idea. Hello there, Brittany.”

“Mommy said I’m not allowed to talk to you,” the six-year-old girl replied.

“Why is that, sweetheart?” Andrew sat down next to her.

“I dunno,” the child answered. “My mommy said that I’d be in big trouble if I did.” The child looked down at her lap and then back up at her uncle. “I don’t understand, my mommy says I can’t talk to my daddy, either.”

Hunter sighed deeply, and without a word, went inside the room leaving Andrew and the little girl alone. As he came into the lawyer’s reception area, he could see his mother and older sister seated inside. “What’s the big idea, Holly? Why are you telling Brittany this nonsense about not being allowed to speak with me?”

“You’re no longer a member of this family,” Katherine said assuredly. “I’ve already spoken to my lawyer, and he has agreed that the estate should be reverted over to me.”

That’s not possible, Dad said it should go to me,” Hunter said. “You pushed the issue with me, Mother, so why are you acting as though I’m no longer a part of the family. Even Holly was pushing the issue only yesterday.”

“I had no idea that you would start taking the side of that ill-tempered waif,” Holly said snidely as she looked at her brother. “At least now the hotel problem has been taking care of. Mom and I think that we can grow an even bigger crop next season and that should bring in even more investors.”

“You never even consulted Dad about this,” Hunter said simply trying to keep himself from loosing his temper. “I was with Dad when he died, and what were you two doing? Calling someone to ignite the fire that burned down the hotel?”

Holly looked at her brother, “how dare you accuse us of doing that?”

“I know for a fact that you didn’t, Holly, but I wouldn’t put it past either of you to arrange it, you’re both vindictive enough that you would want to.” He shook his head as he sat down in one of the pink plush chairs located on the far side of the waiting area.

 _I can't believe this, my entire family is falling apart,_ he thought sadly as the door opened and a man of about 50 stepped out into the waiting area.

“Hello, Mrs. Livingston, Mrs. Harrows, Mr. Livingston, would you please come in, we have much to discuss?” the lawyer spoke, his voice a deep baritone, but his friendly gray eyes sad, but filled with understanding. He had heard them arguing from his office. Well, how could he not, they were probably heard all over the building.

The four of them entered the lush office, and while Katherine and Holly sat on one side, Hunter took a seat on the other. The lawyer opened his copy of Kyle’s will and began to read.

~~~~~

Outside in the hallway, Andrew and Brittany were seated and waiting. The little girl was fidgeting uncomfortably and either out of boredom, or curiosity, she turned and looked at Andrew. “You look like someone I once saw at Grandpa’s.”

“I was there last night,” Andrew offered.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Brittany asked him.

“Sure you can,” Andrew replied.

“I saw an angel in Grandpa’s room,” Brittany said softly. “Mommy said that it was make-believe, but he was real. He talked to me and said that he was there to take Grandpa to heaven. Isn’t that neat?”

“Yes, it is,” Andrew said smiling at the little girl. “Where do you think your grandfather is now?”

“That’s easy, he’s with God in heaven,” the little girl said confidently. “My daddy told me about God when I used to visit him, but now Mommy says that God doesn’t exist, and that angels don’t either.”

Andrew sighed deeply. “What do you think?”

“I think my Mom is mean,” the little girl said sadly. “She and Grandma don’t care about me, all they care about money. I wish I could be with Uncle Hunter, he likes me and doesn’t use me as a way to hurt other people.”

Andrew smiled sadly and looked at the little girl. “You told me a secret, would you like me to tell you a secret too?”

The little girl’s eyes brightened as she regarded the kindhearted man seated next to her. She continued to fidget in her seat, the lace dress she wore scratching her sensitive skin.

“You told me you met an angel, did he tell you his name?” Andrew asked.

“Angels have names?” the little girl asked, but closed her eyes. “I wish he was still around, he was so nice to me.”

“His name was Adam,” Andrew said gently.

The little girl smiled as she remembered having heard the name that Andrew had mentioned. She looked down the long hallway and then back over at him. “How’d you know his name?” she asked backing away from him.

“Don’t be afraid, Brittany. I’m an angel too, and Adam is a friend of mine,” Andrew replied as Adam appeared and was seated on the other side of him.

When Brittany saw Adam seated on the bench next to Andrew she smiled. “It’s you?”

“Hello, sweetheart,” Adam said gently, his voice soft as he addressed the small child. He then turned and smiled at his friend, “hi Andrew.”

“Is my grandpa in heaven?” Brittany asked.

“Yes, he is,” Adam said gently.

“I thought I would never see you again,” Brittany said softly. “I thought after Grandpa went to heaven that my only friend would leave me too.” Her sad brown eyes filled with tears as she looked at Adam. “I’m so lonely without you.”

Andrew stood up and so that Adam could slide over next to the small girl. He had never really seen his fellow Angel of Death so taken with a small child before. It appeared as though Brittany had latched onto him for some kind of support during all the events that had taken hold of this family. Once Adam was next to Brittany, he allowed her to sit in his lap and he held her as she began to cry bitterly, her face buried against his beige jacket.

As the time pressed on, Andrew watched and waited for Katherine, Hunter, and Holly to emerge from the lawyer’s office. He wondered how much longer it would take until the will and all its provisions had been gone over by the family. He glanced over and saw that Brittany had fallen asleep in Adam's arms. He smiled as he looked at his friend. “Adam, do you know what has been happening with her?”

“I’m afraid it’s just what she told you, her mother and grandmother are using her as a pawn not only against her father, but also against Hunter,” Adam said as he stroked the sleeping child’s face. “She’s such a special little girl.”

Andrew nodded as the door opened and Hunter came outside. “Adam? What’s going on? What are you doing here?”

“Just visiting a friend,” Adam replied looking down at the small child who slept in his lap.

“She met you when you were watching over my father, right?” Hunter asked.

Andrew nodded as the door opened once again and Holly and Katherine came outside, the expressions on their faces were indicative to all of them that they were not at all happy with the way the will had gone. “You’re still here?” Katherine asked. “I take it you’re going to gloat?”

“No, Mother, I’m not going to gloat about anything, it was Dad’s wish, and I’m not going to take anything away from either of you. You both knew that this was how it was going to go, so I don’t understand why it came as such a surprise to you.”

Holly looked at her brother. “You’re not kicking us out of the house?” she asked.

“No, Holly, I’m not, in fact, even though I have everything in my name, I’ve had a bit of time to actually think about everything that is going on. Before I tell you what I want to do, I want to formally introduce you to some very special people who are out at the cabin, and I want you to listen to what they have to say,” he said softly.

“Why is this so important?” Holly asked, but it seemed as though she was completely unaware that her daughter was still asleep on an angel’s lap.

“I’m guessing that Andrew tried to talk to you last night, but you refused to listen to him. I can assure you that what he has to say is very important. Now, I think he should have a chance to tell you, and as long as you listen to him and his friends, then I have no problems with things being as they are.” He looked at Andrew and when the angel nodded, Hunter knew that he was making the right choice. 

Katherine looked at her son. “Why do you do this?”

“Because even though you may not believe it, I love you both, I want to be a good son, a good brother, and also a good uncle to this little girl. I don’t want people to be used any longer as pawns and I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt by our family.” He looked at his mother and sister. “It was so hard for me to actually tell you both how hard things have been for me. Then I sat down next to Dad last night, and I found out things about him that I related to. I thought all this time that I didn’t belong in the family, maybe that’s why I stayed away from the house so much, I don’t really know.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us this, Hunter?” Katherine asked.

“Would you have listened? I went through all this uncertainty after Dad was diagnosed, but what hurt was that the things that Dad wanted were ignored. I only want to do what is right, and if something changed, it would have dishonored his memory. Don’t you see? Dad was still alive, and even though you called him a vegetable, he was alive and he knew what was happening.”

“What makes you so sure he did?” Holly asked.

“Because I was there,” Adam spoke up and looked at the two women. As he began to glow, the love of God washed over him and the small child who slept in his arms. “I was with your husband when he died. I was with him for a number of weeks before he died and I took him to heaven. His stories about seeing angels were true, and he knew more about what was happening around him than any one of you realized.”

“You’re really an angel?” Katherine asked.

Adam nodded and his motion indicated Andrew as he continued to speak. “Andrew is also an angel, and although you refused to listen to him last night, he is here to help your family.”

Hunter looked at his mother and sister. “What really happened last night, Mom?”

“It was my fault,” Holly confessed. “I called the wrecking crew and they planted the explosives.”

“Why did you do this?” Andrew asked gently.

“I don’t know, maybe because I was scared. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said looking down at her daughter. “I was afraid I would lose everything and then Brittany and I would be left on our own. I didn’t want to lose everything that I had.”

“I’m your brother, Holly, and even though you’re overbearing and annoying sometimes, there does exist some trace of family loyalty in me. I wouldn’t have thrown you out, I’m not the same type of person you are,” Hunter said simply. “But why did you do that to Samantha? Why did you destroy the only family she ever had?”

“It was because, she was jealous of her,” Katherine said softly. “She knew that you were in love with her and she didn’t want you to forget about her and Brittany. She thought that if she could make Samantha hate you, it would guarantee that you would stay with your family.”

Andrew stood up and looked at the younger of the two women. “Your choices were irresponsible, Holly, but you realize now that your brother is much stronger than you perceived him to have been.”

“Everyone is angry with me,” the woman cried shrilly causing both angels to cringe slightly.

“No one is angry with you, Holly,” Hunter began. “Maybe a little disappointed, but sometimes fear makes us react falsely. I reacted to everything by running away and you reacted by showing your jealous side. Now, I have learned that I cannot run away from my life any more than you can.”

Andrew rested his hand on her shoulder. “You have spent your entire life doing the bidding of your mother to earn love, and now you feel that you have to keep trying to earn the love of others,” he looked at her intently, but his gaze caused her to falter and she turned away. He reached over and took her shoulders and turned her slowly around so that she would be looking him in the eyes. “Holly, God loves you, and no matter what you do, He will love you and will be there for you, all you have to do ask Him and then you will discover the source of divine love.”

Holly looked at him. “I ignored you last night.”

“You weren’t ready to hear the truth then, but you are now,” Andrew said gently. “Angels do exist, and God exists, and He loves you both so much. He wants to help you all resolve this, but you have to trust that He will do it in accordance to His plan. You have to let go of the idea that money rules the universe and greed means power. The fact is, God is all the good, all the love and all the power that there is. It is your own free will that determines whether you chose to accept His love, or you try to always take in more money. As Kyle said to Adam, and Hunter said to me, ‘when your time comes, you won’t be able to take it with you’.”

The little girl opened her eyes at that moment, and she could see that Adam was glowing and she reached over and touched his face with her fingers, her eyes wide with childlike innocence. This action brought a smile to Adam’s otherwise unemotional face. “So beautiful,” she whispered and looked at her mother. “God’s angels are so beautiful, aren’t they, Mommy?”

“She knows who you are?” Katherine asked looking at Adam.

“Yes, she knows because she saw me when I was with your husband,” Adam said softly.

“Dad said that there was someone in white in his room before he died. That was you?” Holly asked.

Adam nodded.

“So that was no hallucination?” Katherine asked. “He really did see you?”

“No it was no hallucination, and yes Kyle could see Adam, and Hunter saw him the day Kyle went Home,” Andrew said softly.

“Brittany spent a great deal of time with her grandfather before I took him Home,” Adam began to speak. “Through that time she spent with him, she and I became friends.”

Holly was looking at Adam now. “You looked after my daughter today?”

“She’s lonely, Holly,” Adam said gently as the child crawled off his lap and looked up at her mother. “She misses her father, and her uncle. She wants to feel important, and loved.” He looked down at her. “What do you wish for, sweetheart?”

Brittany shook her head. “I wish you could always be with me, Adam.”!

The angel blushed slightly and chuckled, but when he looked at her, his face was filled with love and understanding for the small child. “You know I can’t stay with you, honey. God needs me to do His work, but maybe you'll see me now and then before I come to take you Home. How would you like that?” He glanced over at Andrew and smiled as he ruffled the small child's hair.

Brittany smiled. “If I can't have that wish, then I wish that I could see my Uncle Hunter more often and that we could be a real family again.”

“We’ll do our best,” Hunter said simply and he looked at his mother. “Mom, there is something I would like to ask you for before we leave here.”

“What’s that?” Katherine asked weakly as she looked at her son, her eyes depicting someone who had no idea what was about to be said. She shifted uncomfortably.

“I want your blessing,” Hunter said softly.

“Why would you want my blessing?” Katherine and Holly looked at each other all the while wondering what he would say next.

“I want to ask Samantha Reynolds to be my wife,” Hunter said simply. He looked at Andrew and when he got a confirming nod from the angel he knew he was on the right track. “The other thing I want is for you and Holly to arrange for the land where the ‘Reynolds Inn’ stood to be legally given to Samantha and put solely in her name. The other thing is we need to get started on rebuilding the hotel.” He paused before continuing. “I will be taking control of the estate, but I will be doing something else while working there. I have decided to take some classes in art design, and I would like to try my hand at working as a commercial artist. Through this, I’ll be making periodic trips to New York and I will need you two to help keep the business going in my absence. Are you willing?”

Katherine nodded and she looked at Holly.

The younger woman, though reluctant, nodded as well. She looked down at her daughter. “I think your wish is going to come true,” she said softly, and then looked at Adam. “Was my father mad at me?” She finally asked in a small voice.

Adam shook his head. “No, he always knew that behind that rough exterior, you do have a good heart, Holly.”

Hunter smiled gently, “yeah, and Dad was always a good judge of character.”

Andrew nodded in concurrence. “I suppose we’d better get back. Samantha’s still not out of the woods yet.”

Katherine looked at her son. “What happened to her?”

“She’s really sick, Mom. My friends and I are taking care of her at the cabin,” Hunter said softly. “I think she’ll be OK, but I do want to get back to her and let her know what is happening.”

“Adam?” the little girl asked breaking her own silence as she turned around to look up at him. “Will you stay with us for a little while longer? Please!”

The angel closed his eyes and after a few moments, he nodded. “I’ll stay until I get another assignment, how does that sound?”

Brittany smiled and raised her arms to him indicating that she wanted him to carry her. Adam, feeling somewhat special in the eyes of this little girl, obliged and picked her up and carried her to the elevator. Andrew walked with him, and smiled. “How does it feel to be the apple of her eye?” Andrew asked softly noticing the smile and sparkle in his friend’s eyes. Andrew also knew that his fellow Angel of Death was not always very successful with making friends, and he felt wonderful to see someone giving Adam the love and attention he deserved.

“It’s wonderful,” Adam said with tears in his eyes.

Not certain why she was seeing her friend with tears in his eyes, she looked at him. “Why do you cry? Aren’t you happy? I always thought God’s angels would be happy.”

Adam hugged her as they got into the elevator with Katherine, Holly, and Hunter. “I’m very happy, Brittany. I have a friend to come and visit when I get some time off.”

~~~~~

That afternoon, Samantha woke up and when she saw Tess coming into the room, she smiled slightly. “Well, baby, you feeling any better?”

“I guess so,” the soft answer came as she tried to sit up in the bed. She began to cough, but after a few moments she sighed deeply. “It feels weird to not be working, Tess. My aunt Molly and I worked almost every day, and now I feel a little bit out of the loop.”

“You’re sick, you need your rest,” Tess said as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.

“I guess, but I wanted to thank you for encouraging me to talk to Hunter. Not just about the hotel, but about my feelings,” Samantha said softly.

“You really love him, don’t you?” Monica asked as she came into the room.

The young woman nodded. “I didn’t know what would happen, but I do love him, and I hope that he would have me. I have nothing to give, everything I owned is gone.”

“You have yourself, and a heart filled with love,” Tess said. “It doesn’t matter what you possess materially, Samantha. What matters is that you give your love to him, and you support him emotionally when things get difficult for you. I know that sounds hard to believe, but your loving spirit, and kind heart is what makes Hunter Livingston love you, not what you might own.”

“What would a man with a name and family want with a girl who has nothing?” Samantha asked. “I used to keep a hope chest when I was a little girl, and I hoped that one day I could meet someone who would love me and I figured that if I had something to give, than I would find the person for life. Now, I have nothing, and I can’t expect someone like Hunter to want me. He’s such a successful and intelligent person.”

“You’ve been hearing too many people say you are a nothing for far too long,” Monica said gently. “You’ve started to believe those words instead of what is truly in your heart. You are God’s beautiful child, Samantha, and nothing God creates is less worthy of His love because of what they have, but rather who they are. Hunter loves you with his whole heart, and he demonstrated that when he pulled you out of the lake last night. Through his action, he showed that he would give his very life for you.”

“Don’t you see, honey?” Tess asked gently. “You must never forget that God loves you so much, and He knows that you feel lost, but you just let Him take your hand and lead you back onto your path, and that path He is leading you down is meeting up with Hunter Livingston.”

“What about his mother and sister?” Samantha asked weakly. “They don’t like me.”

“Well, then don’t date them, date Hunter,” Tess said gently.

This last comment brought a small smile to Samantha's face. “You guys really do care for me, even after I was so rude to you.” She shook her head in profound disbelief.

“Let me tell you something,” Tess began. “I’ve been with this job long enough to know when someone is grieving a loved one. I knew from the start that you were still grieving your aunt, but now you must understand something. Your aunt is now living in the most wonderful place imaginable, she suffers no more pain, and she’s happy wrapped in the loving arms of her Heavenly Father. Now, it’s time for you to allow her memory not to take over your life, but to enhance it. You can remember the person your aunt was and you can be sad that she’s no longer with you, but you can’t allow your grief to encompass your life.”

Monica nodded. “It’s OK to be sad, Samantha, but you have to remember that Molly wouldn’t want you to bury yourself in this sadness, but rise above it. She’s so proud of you, but she always knew that you needed to strike out on your own. She also knew that you loved Hunter since the two of you were in school together, and she often questioned why it was that you didn’t mention this attraction to her.”

Samantha shook her head as the door opened and closed and she could hear voices filtering into the room. “I guess Hunter's back,” she whispered.

“Sounds like he brought a whole bunch of people back with him, too,” Monica said and she walked out into the hallway and was surprised to see Adam carrying a small child into the living room. Katherine, Holly, and Hunter followed them inside with Andrew bringing up the rear.

“Andrew, what on earth is going on?” Monica asked.

“A family reunion,” Katherine said softly.

“Adam, you’re here too?” Monica could see the other Angel of Death holding the little girl, and though she was surprised, she could not help but be enchanted by the looks of joy on both of their faces.

“Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse,” Hunter said coyly. “We resolved everything without hiring lawyers, and contrary to the insanity that has overtaken our lives, we actually have a reason to celebrate.”

Katherine nodded and she looked at Monica, “how is she?”

“Samantha?” Monica asked.

Katherine nodded and smiled weakly.

“She’s pretty worn out, we’ve been talking and that seems to take a bit out of her,” Monica said softly.

“I suppose I should go and speak with her,” Katherine said nervously. “Somehow I get the feeling that she won’t want to exchange two words with me.”

“Give it a try, Mom. Samantha may be a bit rough around the edges, but she’s got a good heart, and maybe that will be enough,” Hunter said gently.

Katherine nodded and walked alone down the hallway and stopped before she reached the room where Samantha was. She self-consciously patted her hair into place before reaching for the knob and turning it slowly. As she opened the door, she could see the sunlight coming in through the windows, and she poked her head in the room and saw that Tess was still seated by next to where Samantha was. Coming into the room, she allowed her gaze to come to rest on the young woman lying in the bed.

“Hello, Samantha,” she said softly. “Do you mind if I come in?”

Samantha looked up and could see Katherine standing somewhat hesitantly at the door, and instead of going with the impulse to start yelling, all she found the energy to do was to smile weakly and nod. “Come on in,” she said softly trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Tess stood up and excused herself from the room as Katherine came slowly into the room and sat down in the chair that the angel had vacated.

“This isn’t very easy for me to do, Samantha, but I wanted to apologize to you for everything I said and did to you during these past weeks,” Katherine spoke, her voice sad and filled with remorse. “More than anything, I want to ask for your forgiveness for all the horrible things Holly and I did, not just with the hotel, but also the rotten things we said to you last night up at the house. There’s really no excuse for what we did, and I hope that you will forgive us for it.”

“Why did you do it?” Samantha asked weakly as she began to cough. When the coughing fit stopped, she waited for Katherine to answer her question.

“I don’t really know why we did those things, maybe we did them because we were afraid, or jealous, but I guess if an answer to you questions existed it would be because we were frightened.”

“You hurt me,” Samantha said softly. “You made me feel like I was a loser and a nothing. I know I have no family left, Mrs. Livingston, and I’m well aware of the things that people have said about and to me, but no one here could possibly comprehend just how much those words hurt me. That hotel was the last thing left of my family. Imagine how you would have felt if someone had burned your tobacco crops, or the mansion on the hill had somehow been lost. You would have felt the exact same loss I felt last night when my hotel was destroyed. It was the last thing that remained of my family and now it’s gone.”

“I know what we did was wrong, and though it may not be something money can replace, I want to make restitution, and my family has every intent of rebuilding that hotel at our own expense, but I only ask of you one thing.”

“What?” She coughed once again, her voice beginning to give out.

“Well, two things actually, one is that you will never believe that you’re a nothing or a loser, the other,” she took a deep breath. “The other is that we can resolve this somehow.”

“It will take some time,” Samantha said honestly, “but I’ll try.”

As she spoke those last words, the others assembled in the living room filtered down the hall and into Samantha's room. As Hunter came into the room, he looked down at her with love in his eyes.

“How do you feel?” he asked weakly.

“A little better,” she said softly. “Tess and Monica have been taking good care of me.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said gently and sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. “Samantha, I want to ask you something that is so important to me, and I know that this is really sudden, but all my wishes have come true except for one. That one remaining wish I have is that I would like to marry you. Would you consent to one day being my wife?”

“I’d like that, but I have nothing to give,” she objected, her voice barely above a whisper. Seconds later, she could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

“You have your love to give, Samantha,” Katherine said softly. “That is worth more than all the money in the world. Kyle knew that and you should know it too.”

The surprise was evident in her eyes, but she looked at him the tears blurring her vision, but she could see the outlines of his handsome face and she reached a hand out to him and touched his cheek. “If you’ll have me, then yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered. “I love you, Hunter.”

~~~~~

The days passed quickly, Hunter spent all his time trying to get things organized for the groundbreaking for the hotel. Inched between his working with his sister and mother to get the latest crop taken care of, he also managed to find a time when he could go and buy Samantha her engagement ring as well as try to nurse her back to health.

With the help of the angels, his mother and sister, Samantha recovered from the illness she suffered within a week and as she was getting out of bed during the angels’ final day with them, she smiled at them with all the gratitude she could muster. Sadly, she knew that somehow their work there was done, now that she able to overcome the grief she endured because of her aunt's death.

After saying a heartfelt good-bye to Samantha, the three angels went back down the hallway and out into the living room, their eyes beholding those of a very sad little girl.

“What is it, Brittany?” Andrew asked as he went over to the small child. During the past days, he had become friends with her as well, but there was no separating her from Adam.

“Adam said he had to go,” the child said softly and stared at the last place he had been before disappearing. “I love him so much, Andrew,” she whispered, but her voice emerged in hiccup-like sobs, and the three remaining angels knew that the small child did not fully understand what had transpired once Adam had said good-bye.

Andrew wrapped his arms around the small girl and gave her a smile. “He made a promise to you, remember? He said that he would come back and see you when he got some time off. He’s an angel, Brittany, and angels always keep their promises. Don’t ever forget that, sweetheart.”

The little girl nodded and looked at him. “You’re going too?”

“Yes, baby we are, but you’ve got a family who will love and care for you now,” Tess said gently. “Now, you need to take care of them, and yourself, and one day when you least expect it, you will see an angel again, and maybe that angel will be Adam.”

Brittany nodded, but they could tell that the little girl was heartbroken.

“Besides, you know Hunter and Samantha need your help to plan their wedding. There will be plenty of things to occupy you in the days to come,” Monica said smiling broadly.

The little girl’s face began to show the traces of a smile, but when she looked back over at Andrew, he began to speak to her once again. “That family you wished for is now becoming a reality.”

“Are you going back home to Heaven?” the small child asked weakly.

“Yes, baby, we are, so when you see your momma and grandma, you just tell them that we went Home and that one day they might see us again, too,” Tess said gently. “Can you do that for us?”

Brittany smiled weakly, but nodded. “Is that where Adam went?”

Monica nodded. “That’s where Adam went,” she affirmed.

“Then would you tell him that I love him, and I’ll tell my momma that you went Home,” Brittany said softly as she watched her uncle and future aunt had gone into the kitchen and started preparing lunch.

“Of course we will sweetheart,” Andrew said gently. He gave her a final hug good-bye and she was left watching as he, Tess and Monica left the cabin. The little girl stood alone in the living room for some time; her hand brushing over a small golden watch.

Adam had given her a smaller duplicate of his watch as a gift and she held it in her tiny hands. When Hunter and Samantha came out of the kitchen some moments later, they found her standing and holding the watch.

He got down on his knees in front of her. “Did they leave?” he asked weakly knowing full well what the answer was going to be. He also knew how close to Adam his niece was.

“They went home,” said the small child as she stared down at the golden watch, which lay in her hand. As she opened the gold cover she stared down at the numbers on the face she could feel the tears falling from beneath her eyes and she closed the golden cover.

“You’re going to miss them aren’t you, sweetheart?” Samantha asked gently.

The little girl nodded, but she looked at her uncle innocently. “Andrew said that my wish came true.”

Hunter looked at Samantha and then at his niece, and after a few moments of silence passed between the three of them, he nodded and spoke. “Yes, sweetheart, your wish did come true and maybe someday your other wish will become a reality, as well.” He looked down at the watch she held all the while smiling broadly and he nodded. “Of that, I am almost certain.”

The End


End file.
